Carolina Panthers football returned on Thursday night in The Windy City and many of the offseason changes were immediately noticeable. After struggling to find wins down the stretch last year, general manager Marty Hurney made a concerted effort to improve the defensive front and provide quarterback Cam Newton more weapons on offense.
After a pedestrian start to the game, Carolina finally settled in and proved to be in command for much of the contest. Winning 23-13, the Panthers biggest issues were with Chicago getting points off turnovers and allowing big plays when it hurt the most.