//'Out of sync' offense falters in loss to Bears

'Out of sync' offense falters in loss to Bears

Carolina knew the challenges of facing Chicago’s defense. The Bears entered the week ranked No. 4 in total defense and No. 9 in points allowed. They were second in third down defense and opponent passer rating and first in opponent red zone scoring and opponent completion percentage. Plus, the club has a terrific pass rush led by outside linebacker Khalil Mack.

So the Panthers had to be sharp offensively to have a good shot at winning. But from the first drive, that just wasn’t the case.

“There were times we were running routes, and guys were not where they were supposed to be, running the wrong route,” Rhule said. “I just thought it was a global issue today offensively.”

But it wasn’t just receivers making uncharacteristic mistakes. Veteran left tackle Russell Okung was flagged for a pair of false starts.

“I