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NFL sets Panthers fans up for rude awakening with Bryce Young-Caleb Williams matchup

The NFL has given us a battle of what is and what could have been in the form of the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears Week 5 matchup.

By Lior Lampert

Chicago Bears Rookie Minicamp
Chicago Bears Rookie Minicamp / Michael Reaves/GettyImages
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One of the most exciting parts of the NFL schedule release is connecting storylines to a matchup. However, it can also be a brutal reminder of a franchise's past mistakes, like the clash between the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears in Week 5.

While it may not look like a compelling matchup on the surface as two young and middling teams with little-to-no expectations to contend, this marks the first battle between 2023 and 2024 No. 1 overall picks -- Bryce Young and Caleb Williams.

Many Panthers fans remember when the team mortgaged their future to trade up with the Bears in last year's draft to select Young on Mar. 10, 2023, a day that will forever live in infamy for Carolina fans, only to give the Bears the first pick in 2024 and right to choose Williams. 

The Panthers sent star wide receiver D.J. Moore, their 2023 first-round pick (which turned out to be offensive tackle Darnell Wright), their 2023 second-rounder (which the Bears used to trade up for rising young cornerback Tyrique Stevenson), Williams and a 2025 second-round pick to Chicago for Young. So, the league is potentially setting up Carolina fans to face a harsh reality. 

NFL sets Panthers fans up for rude awakening with Bryce Young-Caleb Williams matchup

The two quarterbacks will intertwine for their entire careers and likely from a historical standpoint, whether Young, Williams, the Panthers, or Bears like it, especially if the former Alabama quarterback doesn't show improvement from a dismal rookie campaign.

While no one could have predicted Young would play as poorly as he did and that Carolina would land the No. 1 pick again the following season, it must sting knowing they could have landed a generational quarterback prospect (Williams) instead of depleting their draft capital for a signal-caller who is far from a sure thing based on what we saw in 2023. Nonetheless, Panthers fans will have their calendars marked for this game on Oct. 6 at 1 p.m. ET at Soldier Field.

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