Gould's field goal lifts Bears over Panthers 23-22

[October 29, 2012]  CHICAGO (AP) -- The Chicago Bears had just erased a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter when they found themselves trailing again.

Time to call it a day? No, time to dig in.

Robbie Gould kicked a 41-yard field goal as time expired after Jay Cutler rallied the Bears in the fourth quarter for a 23-22 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

"We were just taking turns not making plays, but the thing I like about today was we played from behind," Brandon Marshall said. "Last time we did that we lost (against Green Bay on Sept. 13). It was great work for us. Carolina put it to us, but we responded well that last drive."

The Bears trailed 19-7 in the fourth period when the game turned in a big way.

Chicago (6-1) took over on the Carolina 38 after Brad Nortman shanked a 6-yard punt, and Cutler connected with Kellen Davis on a 12-yard scoring pass with just under 7 minutes left.

On Carolina's next play from scrimmage, Steve Smith slipped on an out pattern and Tim Jennings returned his second interception of the game 25 yards to make it 20-19. The pass failed on the 2-point attempt.

Cam Newton drove the Panthers to the Chicago 27, and Justin Medlock's 45-yard field goal hit the right upright and went through to put Carolina ahead 22-20 with 2:27 remaining. But Cutler moved the Bears 55 yards to the 23-yard line, going 6 of 7 before Gould nailed his winner.

"(Cutler) gets up smiling," Marshall said. "I'm sitting here shaking -- a little bit of the cold weather, a little bit of (being) nervous -- and he just starts smiling like, `Well, here we go.' It just put me at ease right away. The guys feel that vibe and they play off of it."

For Newton and the Panthers (1-6), the vibe couldn't be worse.

They fired their general manager during the week amid turmoil about their performances, and then dropped their fifth straight game after dominating for most of the day.

Carolina gained 416 yards and had six sacks against Cutler, with Greg Hardy getting to him three times. But somehow, Chicago pulled it out.

"Not heartbreaking," Smith said. "Tiresome, monotonous, a few guys in here are perturbed and (ticked), but we're beyond heartbreak. We're just getting upset."

Cutler completed 19 of 28 passes for 186 yards after having his ribs bruised by Detroit's Ndamukong Suh on Monday night.

Marshall had 98 yards receiving and Matt Forte ran for 70 yards and a touchdown for Chicago. And with Jennings running back that interception, Chicago's defense has six touchdowns on the season.

"We were down," Jennings said. "We knew we had to score on defense. Our captains rallied up the troops. We knew that if we got our hands on the ball we had to score. That's been our mentality all season. I was able to be in the right position and make a play."

Newton threw for 314 yards and Smith added 118 receiving for Carolina. Medlock nailed five field goals, but the Panthers took another stinging loss.

With the worst record in the NFC, they let longtime GM Marty Hurney go Monday while making it clear no one except maybe Newton is safe.

Even he's come under criticism in recent weeks for his demeanor, and adding to the Panthers' woes was a mounting list of injuries. Three-time Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil (foot), cornerback Chris Gamble (shoulder) and three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Jon Beason (knee and shoulder) went down for the rest of the season in recent weeks.

"This was a challenging week, not only for myself, but for any Carolina Panther fan that has been following us," Newton said. "We just have to come out and keep enduring and keep going and keep going. It tells a lot about the teammates and what type of team you have faced with adversity."

The way this game started, it was hard to tell which team was in first place and which one was in disarray.

Hardy only had two sacks this season and never more than one in a game in his career, but he created all kinds of havoc in the first half.

The Panthers also had 226 yards while holding the Bears to 49 through the first two quarters. But the Bears prevailed after a slow start.

"I don't think you can hit the panic button offensively," Cutler said. "We just need to keep getting better. We have to keep looking at our mistakes, keep improving and keep trying to work on things week-in and week-out."

NOTES: Cutler said his ribs weren't bothering him. He just didn't play well for most of the game. "Didn't really feel them at all," he said. "No one played well. I didn't play well. It starts with me. Offensively, those first 3 1/2 quarters were just ugly." ... Gould missed a 33-yarder early in the fourth quarter. ... Even though Jennings now has six interceptions, the Panthers' Smith wasn't heaping praise on him. "I know you want to pump him up. I've been kicking his (butt) every time I've come up here and today no was different. Do you disagree? I didn't think so." ... Panthers coach Ron Rivera said DT Dwan Edwards will be evaluated Monday after injuring an ankle.

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[Associated Press; By ANDREW SELIGMAN]

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