Panthers strike first with 79-yard punt return, lead Bears

CHICAGO – The Carolina Panthers had gone 96 games without a punt return for a touchdown.

Until Thursday night.

Ihmir Smith-Marsette avoided a tackle on the catch and then used his speed up the middle for a 79-yard touchdown in the first quarter of a prime-time game against the Chicago Bears in which both offenses started slowly. Smith-Marsette is the seventh player in Carolina history to record a punt-return touchdown (Steve Smith Sr. 4, Corey Brown, Kaelin Clay, Eric Guliford, Iheanyi Uwaezuoke, Winslow Oliver).

It was Carolina’s first punt return for a touchdown since Kaelin Clay returned one in Week 12 against the New York Jets in 2017.

It was the fifth punt return for a touchdown in the NFL this season. That’s significant since there were only five total punt returns for touchdowns between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, according to ESPN Stats and Information.

The Panthers had only 27 yards of total offense before the return.

Ihmir Smith-Marsette takes one back against his former team 🏠📞#CARvsCHI on Prime Video
Also available on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/4MTENIL0r6

— NFL (@NFL) November 10, 2023