Bears CB Tim Jennings celebrated with teammates Brandon Marshall and Earl Bennett after his pick-6 in the second half of Sunday's win over Carolina. (AP)

Four straight victories by the Chicago Bears came in dominant fashion, but Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, they found out they could come back from the verge of being out of a ballgame as well.

A shanked punt led to a touchdown, CB Tim Jennings made the team's sixth interception return for a TD this season, and QB Jay Cutler led a last-minute drive that set up Robbie Gould's 41-yard game-winning field goal for a 23-22 Bears victory. The win let the Bears (6-1) expand their NFC North lead to 1 1/2 games over Minnesota, while Green Bay pulled into a tie for second with the Vikings.

The Bears were outgained through three quarters, 369 yards to 94 and trailed, 19-7, with 7 1/2 minutes left in the game, but they found a way to rally against the Panthers (1-6), who seem to keep finding new ways to lose in frustrating fashion.

Gould had missed a 33-yard field goal with 12:14 left in the game, but Panthers punter Brad Nortman produced a game-changing 6-yard punt out of bounds that set up the Bears up at the Panthers 38. They drove from there, capping it off with a Jay Cutler-to-Kellen Davis 12-yard TD pass. The first play from scrimmage after the score, WR Steve Smith slipped and fell and Jennings made his sixth INT of the season. He took it back 25 yards for the go-ahead score.

Although the Panthers came back with a 45-yard Justin Medlock field goal off the right upright for a 22-20 lead, the Bears went 55 yards for the game-winning kick with Cutler hitting on 6 of 7 passes.

Playing with bruised ribs, Cutler had been sacked six times in the first half when he threw for only four yards (4 of 9).

The Bears hadn't trailed in a game since their Week 2 loss to Green Bay, and they found out a lot about their ability to adjust, come back and win close games. The offensive line didn't allow a sack in the second half after the six-sack debacle in the first half, and the defense gave up a season-high 416 yards, but found a way to make the big interception and also stop the Panthers' drive to the go-ahead field goal before it ate up more time.

When the game turned: Nortman's punt was an obvious shank to the Panthers 38, so far out of bounds that it sailed clear over the Panthers bench. That gave the Bears new life in what had been a complete drubbing by the Carolina defense of the Bears offense. It was obvious that a plan by the Panthers to punt and kick away from Devin Hester backfired on them on the play. Punting into a 15-to-22 mph wind didn't help Nortman, either. The play set the stage for the Bears to score on consecutive plays from scrimmage.

Highlight moments: The 62-yard pass from QB Cam Newton to WR Brandon LaFell up the middle of the field, the longest pass play allowed by the Bears this season. It set up a Panthers field goal to cut the Bears lead to 7-3. A huge part of the play was Jennings running LaFell down from behind and at an angle to prevent a TD. The four points made a difference late. ... The sack of Cutler by Charles Johnson for an 8-yard loss, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Carolina's Frank Alexander at the Bears 16 to set up a 10-7 Panthers lead. Carolina then sacked Cutler on consecutive plays. ... Jennings' first INT of the game in the second quarter, diving along the sidelines when Newton fluttered one while being rushed. ... Cutler's 10-yard pass to WR Brandon Marshall to get the Bears into range for Gould's game-winning field goal. ... Jennings' second INT of the game and TD return. Newton has made a lot of mistakes this season, but they can't blame him for that one since Smith just fell on the Soldier Field turf that is usually pretty bad but was in decent shape Sunday. ... Carolina's lone touchdown, a fumble recovery by Louis Murphy when Newton was popped and lost the ball at the 1-yard line while trying to scramble in for a TD on third down. It gave the Panthers a 10-7 lead. ... Medlock's 45-yard field goal to put Carolina up 22-20 with 4:17 to play. It hit the right upright going against the wind.

Top-shelf performances:

  • Bears QB Jay Cutler -- He was 19 of 28 for 186 yards with a TD and an INT, but he was clutch on the game-winning drive.

     
  • Bears WR Brandon Marshall -- Nine catches for 98 yards and the catch that put the Bears in position for the game-winning field goal.

     
  • Panthers WR Steve Smith -- He has never been held below 97 yards receiving in five games vs. the Bears. He made seven catches for 118 yards.

     
  • Panthers DE Greg Hardy -- He had three sacks of Cutler and never had more than one in a single game and only nine for his career coming into the contest.

     
  • Panthers K Justin Medlock -- five field goals on five attempts after attempting (and making) just two in six previous games.

What they said about the shanked punt:

  • Panthers punter Brad Nortman -- “Obviously, it was hit out of bounds so there was no return, but obviously I want a better punt than that. That's just the danger of directional punting, especially under these conditions. That was the windiest game I've faced in a long time. But there's no excuse. I just need to hit the ball better."

On Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith's game against the Bears and CB Tim Jennings:

  • Smith -- "I've been kicking his ass every time I come up here and today was no different."

 About Jennings' INT and return:

  • Jennings -- "We were down. We knew we had to score on defense. Our captains rallied up the troops. We knew that if we got our hands on the ball we had to score. That's been our mentality all season. I was able to be in the right position and make a play."

 About another excruciating loss:

  • Steve Smith -- "It's not heartbreaking. Tiresome, monotonous, a few guys in here are perturbed. But we're beyond heartbreak. We're just getting  upset. It's getting old. There is a tradition growing here and I'm not sure which way this tradition is going."

On the comeback Bears win:

  • Coach Lovie Smith -- "It came down to a two-minute drive that we practice, of course, each week, but that's why we say we have a special quarterback."

Numbers you should know: Cutler completed 12 of 14 for 106 yards in the fourth quarter. ... The Panthers outgained the Bears 416 yards to 210.

Injury update: Bears -- Cutler took a shot on his ribs on his very first pass but emerged from the game no worse for wear. The Bears had no other reported injuries. Panthers -- DT Dwan Edwards suffered an ankle injury that will be evaluated further on Monday. His loss definitely had an impact as the Panthers had six first-half sacks but couldn't muster the push up the middle in the second half when Frank Kearse replaced him.

Going forward: Bears -- Chicago travels to Nashville for its third interconference game, this one against a Titans team (1 p.m Sunday) that suffered an overtime loss to Indianapolis on Sunday. The Bears will be going for their first six-game winning streak since the 2006 Super Bowl season. Carolina -- The Panthers are at home in a matchup of two of the game's most dynamic young mobile passers as they face the Washington Redskins and RG III (1 p.m. Sunday).

Follow Bears reporter Gene Chamberlain on Twitter @CBSBears.

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Carolina Panthers from blogger Shawn Krest, follow @CBSPanthers.