The Bears took a timeout with three seconds left in the first half of their preseason opener Thursday night.
Then the Panthers did the same — to ice Elliott Fry, who tried, and made, a 43-yard field goal as the half expired.
Why would the Panthers use a tactic reserved for the game’s most important kicks in the first preseason contest?
“I did that to help the Bears, because they’re in a kicking contest,” said Panthers coach Ron Rivera after his team’s preseason victory. “So at the end of the day …
“There’s an alternative reason to doing it now and then in the preseason as well.