Three-and-Out: Tarik Cohen blames himself for not scoring long TD

1. Going deep

The Bears had only one offensive highlight in their 17-3 victory Sunday against the Panthers at Soldier Field: rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky’s 70-yard completion to rookie running back Tarik Cohen in the second quarter.

But they weren’t happy with it.

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Trubisky threw the ball from the Bears’ 17 but thought the pass was underthrown. Cohen caught the pass at Panthers’ 37 but thought he could have scored. Cohen was tackled at the Panthers’ 5-yard line.

‘‘I blame myself for not getting into the end zone,’’ Cohen said. ‘‘I should have gotten my legs up a little bit more to really finish out those last five yards.’’

2. Opposing view

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton didn’t say much about his three turnovers.

Was he caught off guard by the Bears’ defense?

“No, sir,” he said. “Those [first] two turnovers hurt us, and we just couldn’t seem to get our foot back.”

What did he see on the pass that led to safety Eddie Jackson’s pick-six?

“The ball just shot up in the air, and it was an interception.”

Did he have the option to keep the ball on the pitch play that led to Jackson’s fumble return for a touchdown?

“Yes, sir.”

3. Nick sits

Linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski was active for the first time since suffering an injury to a chest muscle in Week 2 against the Buccaneers, but — as expected — he didn’t play.

Christian Jones made his fifth start in Kwiatkoski’s place. He led the Bears with 11 tackles, including nine solo stops and one for loss.

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Email: ajahns@suntimes.com