That could have been Carolina’s last offensive chance, but the defense got another stop. The Bears helped the Panthers, too, by throwing an incomplete pass on third-and-2 to save Carolina’s last timeout.

So the Panthers had 92 seconds and a timeout to drive 80 yards in a seven-point game.

“I know that everybody on the team really believed that was going to be the drive in which we were going to score, tie up the game, and ultimately end up trying to win toward the end, whether it was overtime or however it shaped up,” left tackle Russell Okung said. “The belief was there.”

But the execution wasn’t. On the drive’s first play, Bridgewater was intercepted by safety DeAndre Houston-Carson on a pass over the middle intended for Moore.

“That last interception, obviously that’s unfortunate,” Rhule said. “It can’t happen.”