This is a very low total in today's NFL world where rules now favor offense so much more than defense.

Carolina should be able to run at least semi-successfully on the Bears, who rank 15th in rush defense. This would set up Cam Newton. Despite losing star tight end Greg Olsen, Newton has two tall quality wideouts in Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess. Rookie speedster Curtis Samuel has returned from injury. He's due to make his presence known. Newton also has a dangerous target out of the backfield in first-round rookie draft choice Christian McCaffrey.

So Newton has a lot of weapons. A key to Carolina doing well offensively is the expected return of Ryan Kalil, one of the better centers in the league. He's been out with a neck problem for the past five weeks.

The Bears are the third-best rushing team in the NFL. Jordan Howard is one of the best running backs in football. Mitch Trubisky will be making his third start and is at home. So he should show improvement. Trubisky gives the Bears a scrambling component at quarterback, something they lacked when Mike Glennon was behind center.

Chicago would catch a nice break if star linebacker Luke Kuechly is ruled out after suffering a concussion last week.