No, the scoreline you read in the title is not a lie, not an exaggeration, not even a typo. In Week 1 of the 2026 NFL Season, the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers combined for 96 points, 1,030 yards, and 13 touchdowns. The on-field temperature of 126 degrees couldn’t match how scorching hot these two offenses were.
With the Bears and Panthers both setting franchise records for Week 1 scoring, it’s no surprise that this game had the highest point total for a Week 1 game in NFL history.
Head Coach Ben Johnson said before the season that his goal is to “have the highest-scoring offense ever,” and nearly 60 points is certainly a step in the right direction. If there was any doubt regarding whether Chicago would take that next step after the magical, utter insanity that was their 2025 season, they put those doubts to rest.
OFFENSE
At the start, however, the Bears seemed to prove those doubters right when their third play from scrimmage ended in a fumble by second-year receiver Luther Burden III, recovered by the Panthers.
From then on, though, Chicago fired on all cylinders. The rushing attack led the way, giving everyone a chance to feast. Running back D’Andre Swift, who recently signed a 3-year, $33.75 million contract extension, had the biggest performance with 124 yards and a touchdown hat trick. His running mate Kyle Monangai also ran for 100 yards, with 61 of them coming on a huge third-quarter house call. Even quarterback Caleb Williams joined in on the fun with 65 yards and his own pair of touchdowns.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) runs for a touchdown during the first quarter of the game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, September 13, 2026, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina (Bob Donnan / IMAGN IMAGES).
Speaking of Williams, he wreaked havoc on Carolina’s defense through the passing game as he threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns on a completion percentage of 72%, a notable flaw in his game last season.
A couple of his passes were especially jaw-dropping, both in the first half. The first was in the opening quarter with the Bears near midfield. With pressure flushing him to his right, Williams lobbed the ball deep down the sideline.
His favorite target, Rome Odunze, was one-on-one with Carolina corner Will Lee III, and both of them fought for positioning to catch the ball dropping from the sky. In the end, Odunze simply stretched his arms over Lee’s head and mossed the poor guy, setting up a first-and-goal for Chicago.
The very next drive, the Bears had the football at the Panthers’ 22, looking to add to their lead. Williams faked the handoff to Monangai and set his feet to look downfield. With edge rusher Jaelan Phillips sticking a hand in his face, he saw tight end Cole Kmet running to the end zone and thought it would be a good idea to throw him the ball despite there being two defenders in coverage.
Not only was this a good idea, but it was an absolutely fantastic idea. Williams’ pass was a laser beam between both defenders in the only place Kmet could reel it in. The sheer cojones on this quarterback.
For the receivers, many of them got opportunities to shine, such as the aforementioned Odunze with 52 yards on just two catches, as well as Burden hauling in five passes for 63 yards.
The leader in receiving, though, was free-agent acquisition Kalif Raymond, who had eight catches for 84 yards, his most since 2023. On the opposite end was the guy who many believed would be the Bears’ number-one target this year, tight end Colston Loveland, who finished the game without a single catch. No love for him.
DEFENSE
The other side of the football tells a much more pessimistic story. Due to injuries to key pieces in the secondary, Coby Bryant and Kyler Gordon, quarterback Bryce Young and company repeatedly gashed Chicago’s defense.
Young finished with 371 total yards and 4 touchdowns. The type of performance he usually saves for the division rival Atlanta Falcons. Running back Chuba Hubbard aided him with both a rushing and receiving touchdown, while reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan had 75 yards on five catches.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) celebrates with his teammates after rushing for a touchdown during the second quarter of the game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, September 13, 2026, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina (Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez / Charlotte Observer).
The real star of the show was Jalen Coker with 138 yards and two touchdowns, including a 51-yard bomb in the second quarter that helped keep the shootout going. Something the Chicago Bears might be seeing a lot of this season.
On some positive notes, Bears rookie defensive backs Dillon Thieneman and Malik Muhammad II showed great promise. The former led the team with 10 tackles on the day, while Muhammad had a big interception just before halftime.
That interception was one of three Chicago takeaways on the day; a unit that led the league in takeaways last year picked right where they left off.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Another takeaway came on special teams as the Bears recovered a muffed punt by Carolina’s Jimmy Horn Jr. to set up the team’s only field goal.
GAME BALLS
In the locker room after the game, Ben Johnson gave out three game balls.
Dillon Thieneman: For notching 10 tackles in his first career game, leading the team.
Offensive Line: For creating holes for Swift and Monangai to run through and giving Williams ample time to consistently find receivers downfield.
D’Andre Swift: For proving his worth on the new extension with 124 yards and three touchdowns. As Johnson stated in the postgame press conference, “He’s had a great week, huh?”
THE FUTURE
The Bears return to Chicago for their home opener next week against their division rival Minnesota Vikings, a team that just rallied to beat their mutual enemy Green Bay Packers 39-22.
These two faced off in Chicago’s home opener in Week 1 last year on Monday Night Football, in which Minnesota came back from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to spoil Ben Johnson’s debut, 27-24.
The Bears have not beaten the Vikings at home since 2019, and Sunday will be the perfect opportunity to finally get one back.
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