The Chicago Bears defeated the Carolina Panthers 23-22 on a Robbie Gould field goal from 41 yards as time expired.

The Bears had a -9.9 deficit in The Trench Counter, averaging 1.4 fewer yards per play and logging one additional turnover. The Panthers had a +18 in Total Rushes/Completions.

Matt Forte rushed 15 times for 70 yards and a touchdown, while Jay Cutler went 19-for-28 for 186 yards, one touchdown, one interception and two lost fumbles.

But the Bears again were bolstered by a defensive touchdown, as Tim Jennings returned an interception 25 yards with less than seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Cam Newton went 20-for-39 for 314 yards and two interceptions.

The Panthers' lone touchdown came on a defensive score.

The Chicago Bears improved to 5-1 with a 13-7 victory over the Detroit Lions.

The Bears had a +5.8 advantage in The Trench Counter, forcing four turnovers while averaging 0.8 fewer yards per play. Chicago had a +3 edge in Total Rushes/Completions.

Jay Cutler went 16-for-31 for 150 yards and a touchdown. Cutler was sacked five times for 25 lost yards. Cutler connected with Brandon Marshall six times for 81 yards and a touchdown.

Matt Forte rushed 22 times for 96 yards.

Matthew Stafford went 28-for-46 for 261 yards, one touchdown with :30 remaining in the game and one interception.

The Lions had three lost fumbles, with Stefan Logan, Mikel Leshoure and Joique Bell turned the ball over to the Bears.

Lovie Smith's son, Matthew Smith, has joined IMG Worldwide.

Matthew Smith represented his father in 2011 negotiations with the Bears.

"For me, first as a proud dad, as you pick an agent, you need someone you can trust that has your back at all times," Smith said Monday on WBBM-AM (670). "Matthew has been around the business a long time, of course being around football, so we're excited about it." 

"People might assume that IMG only hired me to get to my father," Matthew Smith told the Chicago Tribune. "I can only continue to work as hard as I can, like I did in school and at my internships, to make the most out of the opportunities afforded to me." 

The Chicago Bears have held the lead over their opponents in 84.3 percent of the game action this season, the best mark in the NFL.

The Bears have a 4-1 record, with their only loss coming at the Packers in Week 2.

The Kansas City Chiefs have trailed in an NFL-worst 76.8% of game action.

The San Francisco 49ers have missed the play of Blake Costanzo on special teams.

Costanzo signed with the Chicago Bears in the offseason.

“We do miss Blake,” fullback Bruce Miller said. “He was a heck of a special teams player. He had a great feel for whatever team it was, he had a good feel for what was going on. He played for (special teams coach) Brad Seely for years.”

The 49ers rank 30th in punt coverage and 31st in kickoffs.

“There is no replacing a guy like Blake Costanzo, he's in a league of his own,” linebacker Larry Grant said. “Everybody misses Blake -- fans, players on this team, coaches. But unfortunately, he's not here. We got a find a way to get back as a team. We just got to play better; we got to move forward.”

The Chicago Bears have signed tight end Brody Eldridge to a one-year contract and waived running back Kahlil Bell.

The 6-5, 265-pound Eldridge has started 16 of 27 contests over two seasons (2010-11) with the Colts, recording 14 receptions for 84 yards (6.0 ypr) after being selected by Indianapolis in the fifth round (162nd overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma.

Bell appeared in two games for the Bears this season and had 32 rushing yards on 12 carries (2.7 ypc) along with an 11-yard reception.

The Chicago Bears defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars by a final score of 41-3 as they again received defensive touchdowns from Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs.

The Bears had a +22.9 advantage in The Trench Counter, outgaining the Jaguars by a 3.3 margin on a per play basis. Chicago had a +22 edge in Total Rushes/Completions.

Jay Cutler went 23-for-39 for 292 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, connecting with Brandon Marshall for 12 receptions and 144 yards with a touchdown.

Matt Forte rushed 22 times for 107 yards.

Blaine Gabbert went 17-for-33 for 142 yards with the two pick-six interceptions.

Maurice Jones-Drew rushed 12 times for 56 yards.

Johnny Knox is unsure if he will be able play this season.

"I haven't heard," Knox said. "The last thing I heard was that I was going on PUP back in training camp. That's the last thing I heard."

Knox is eligible to come off the PUP list after the team's bye week.

Knox is still recovering from a spine injury suffered last December.

The Chicago Bears improved to 3-1 with a 34-18 victory at the Dallas Cowboys in which they intercepted Tony Romo five times, with two being returned for touchdowns.

The Bears had a +12.9 advantage in The Trench Counter, largely influenced by having a +4 turnover differential and also averaging 6.7 yards per play against 6.3 for the Cowboys. Dallas had a +8 edge in Total Rushes/Completions.

Jay Cutler went 18-for-24 for 275 yards with two touchdowns, zero interceptions and two sacks. Brandon Marshall caught seven balls for 138 yards, while Devin Hester caught a 34-yard touchdown to extend the Chicago lead to 24-7 late in the third quarter.

Matt Forte returned from an ankle injury to run 13 times for 52 yards.

Romo went 31-for-43 for 307 yards, one touchdown and the aforementioned five interceptions. Several of Romo's interceptions could at least partially be blamed on his receivers.

More concerning for Dallas than the five-interception aberration was their inability to run the ball. DeMarco Murray rushed 11 times for 24 yards (2.2 average).