Chicago is on the clock! Carolina’s loss to Jacksonville guarantees Bears will get the FIRST pick of the 2024 NFL Draft… but will they keep Justin Fields or draft a promising young QB like Caleb Williams or Drake Maye?

The Chicago Bears have secured the first pick of next year's draft after the Carolina Panthers lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars, with USC quarterback Caleb Williams and North Carolina's Drake Maye tipped to replace quarterback Justin Fields should he leave the Windy City to leave.

The Bears fell to the playoff-hopeful Atlanta Falcons on Sunday to drop to 7-9 on the year, but Chicago will get the top pick in April on the strength of the Panthers' league-worst 2-14 record, thanks to a deal before 2023. NFL draft.

It was less than a year ago that the Panthers moved up in the draft and took Alabama quarterback Bryce Young first overall, also relinquishing the No. 9 (Tennessee OT Darnell Wright) and No. 61 (Penn State TE Brenton Strange ). as their 2024 first-round pick, a 2025 second-rounder and star wide receiver DJ Moore.

There was hope that the Panthers could overtake the Arizona Cardinals (4-12) with two games left before the postseason, but with this weekend's loss and Jonathan Gannon's men thumping the Philadelphia Eagles, 35-31, upset, it is now considered empty. mathematically impossible.

Fields threw for 268 yards with a touchdown pass and a rushing TD in what could be his final home game for Chicago. He completed 20 of 32 passing attempts and ran for 45 yards while his future was as murky as ever as he has yet to agree terms on a new deal that would leave his four-year rookie contract worth $18.8 million in 2025 expires.

The Bears are now in a position to call up Williams or Maye if they decide to move on from the former Ohio State star. If Fields remains in Chicago in 2024, the Bears will likely sign Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

Bears GM Ryan Poles wasn't enamored with last year's QB class, sticking with Fields instead of drafting Young or another former OSU star, CJ Stroud.

Moore finished with nine catches for 159 yards and a touchdown, and Khalil Herbert ran for 124 yards and a score against Atlanta.

With little room to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017 — and putting coach Arthur Smith's future on the line — the Falcons (7-9) were overwhelmed by Chicago.

The Bears took a 21-7 halftime lead with Fields and Moore leading the way and earned their fourth win in five games. Fields threw a neat 7-yard TD pass to Moore on Chicago's first drive and ran for a 9-yard score on the next possession, making it 14-0 early in the second quarter.

Herbert set a season high for the second straight week after rushing for 112 yards in a win over Arizona last Sunday. Roschon Johnson ran for a TD. Tyrique Stevenson had two of Chicago's four interceptions.

The Falcons struggled to find offense after scoring a season high in a 29-10 win over Indianapolis last week. They finished with 307 yards, a week after gaining 406.

Taylor Heinicke, making his second straight start with Desmond Ridder on the bench, threw for 163 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. He scrambled 24 yards for a TD early in the fourth quarter to cut the score to 27-17 before being replaced by Ridder near the end of the game. Ridder threw a late pick with the game out of reach.

Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson tied William Andrews' rookie record of 1,332 scrimmage yards, set in 1979. He had 75 yards rushing and 11 receiving.

Tyler Allgeier turned a screen pass into a 75-yard touchdown in the second quarter. But the usually reliable Younghoe Koo struggled in the windy conditions, missing two early field goals as Atlanta fell to 2-6 on the road.

Up next for Chicago is the final game of the regular season against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, while the Falcons will play the New Orleans Saints – their NFC South rivals – in a must-win game for Smith's men if they want that. make the play-offs.