AnalysisThe Bears headlined a day of offensive fireworks with a Week 1 record 59 points against the Panthers. David Jensen / Getty ImagesSept. 13, 2026 10:02 pm EDT Updated Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season is on track to be the highest-scoring opening week since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Entering “Sunday Night Football,” teams combined for 50.1 points per game, according to the NFL. If that average holds, it would surpass the 49.4 points per game scored in Week 1 in 2012. That week featured a total of 791 points, and this week’s slate was at 702 with two games still to be played.After a few sluggish performances in Wednesday’s season kickoff game and Thursday’s Australian debut, the offenses came ready to strike Sunday. A big boost came in Carolina, where the Panthers and Chicago Bears combined for 96 points, a record for a season opener. The Bears set a franchise record with 59 points in their win, backing up coach Ben Johnson’s claims this summer he wanted the highest-scoring offense ever.But even though Bears-Panthers might go down as Week 1’s most memorable shootout, scoreboards were lighting up around the country. In total, 10 teams scored 30-plus points, tied for the third-most such teams in Week 1, behind only 1986 (12 teams) and 2002 (11).Bears tally 59 points in Week 1, but think they could've scored moreKevin FishbainThe Detroit Lions survived overtime against the New Orleans Saints in a 31-30 decision; the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33-27; the Baltimore Ravens blew out the Indianapolis Colts 41-23; Trevor Lawrence threw four touchdowns in a 34-10 Jacksonville Jaguars win against the Cleveland Browns; the Buffalo Bills put 36 points on a stingy Houston Texans defense, which hadn’t allowed that many points since 2023, in a 36-31 win; and the Minnesota Vikings upset the Green Bay Packers 39-22 even after Kyler Murray exited early with a scary injury.A whopping 21 teams made changes at offensive coordinator this offseason, though one of the more high-profile hirings — Mike McDaniel to the Los Angeles Chargers — didn’t produce much. L.A. was upset 26-14 by the Arizona Cardinals.