Carolina Panthers vs. Chicago Bears: Winners and Losers

Who knew that the 1-5 Carolina Panthers would turn Soldier Field into a haunted house Sunday, as Bears fans were scared nearly half to death?

Thankfully for the Chicago faithful, style points don't matter in the NFL, and Robbie Gould's 41-yard field goal allowed the Bears to escape with a lucky 23-22 victory.

A pick-six by cornerback Tim Jennings in the fourth quarter and key receptions by Brandon Marshall on the final drive kept the Bears' winning streak alive.

Here are the winners and losers from this nail-biter.

Winner: Brandon Marshall

Big time players make big time plays, and that's exactly what Marshall did when the Bears had to have it.

Needing to get into field goal range on the final drive, the Bears put the game on Marshall's back as he hauled in four huge catches for 36 yards.

The Panthers' secondary knew where the ball was going and they still couldn't stop it—showcasing Marshall's value in the offense.

Jay Cutler's go-to target finished with nine catches for 98 yards, and he continues to pay dividends in his first season in the Windy City.

Loser: Panthers' Red Zone Offense

The Panthers outgained the Bears by more than 200 yards, but it was their inability to turn close-range chances into touchdowns that allowed Chicago to hang around.

The Panthers were able to power the ball on the ground and utilize Steve Smith in the passing game, but everything stopped when they got in the red zone.

Scoring one touchdown on four trips inside your opponent's 20-yard line is never good, and that's exactly what cost Carolina in the end.

Winner: Tim Jennings

For most of the game, it looked like Jennings would be one of the game's losers by consistently getting beat by Smith.

However, without Jennings' two interceptions—one for a touchdown—the Bears' comeback would have never materialized.

Takeaways have always been the Bears mantra, and with his league-leading six interceptions, no one on the defense has been better at taking the ball away than Jennings.

As for his inability to contain Smith, Jennings shouldn't feel so bad. Smith has feasted on the Bears defense throughout his career—averaging more than 171 receiving yards in his last four games against them.

The fact that Jennings didn't allow him to repeat his 218-yard, two-touchdown performance of the 2005 playoffs is an accomplishment.

Loser: Bears' Offensive Line

The Bears' offensive line struggles have been well-documented the past few seasons, and Sunday was another example of their ineptitude.

Cutler was hit more than a piñata, as the Panthers registered six sacks—nearly half their total from the previous six games.

Granted, a few times Cutler was at fault for holding onto the ball too long, but the offensive line needs to do a much better job for the Bears to reach their full potential this season.

The whole unit was flat out outmuscled for the majority of the game, which cannot happen. The Bears totaled only 11 yards rushing in the second half as the line could not open up holes for Matt Forte to break loose.

With the vaunted defenses of the Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers looming in the coming weeks, the offensive line needs to get it together in a hurry.

Winner: Panthers' Front Seven

When your opponent beats you, give credit where credit is due.

In this case, the Panthers' front seven deserves a great deal of credit for pressuring Cutler and slowing down the Bears' rushing attack.

Coming into the game, the Panthers were allowing more than 120 rushing yards per game. Props to them for holding Forte and Michael Bush to less than 80 yards on the ground, forcing the Bears to beat them through the air.

Greg Hardy was a standout, totaling three sacks, in easily the best game of his career.

Rookie linebacker Luke Kuechly had a big game as well with a game-high 10 total tackles. Carolina has much to look forward to in the future with this kid in the heart of its defense.

Loser: Mike Tice

The Bears couldn't ask for much more out of their 6-1 start, which places them all alone atop the NFC North.

However, it's no secret that the defense has been doing most of the heavy lifting, which cannot be the trend throughout the entire season.

The Bears offense looked dysfunctional on too many drives, and while the players decide the outcome, some deal of blame needs to be placed on offensive coordinator Mike Tice.

It is Tice's job to have his offense running smoothly and that has not been the case often times, especially in the first half of games. Through their first seven contests, the Bears offense has scored only three first-quarter touchdowns.

Whether it's finding a way to get Marshall going early on, developing better protection schemes for the offensive line or getting more creative with the play-calling, Tice needs to do a better job.

The talent is there on offense and it's about time that they start to carry their own weight.