With four minutes of game clock remaining in Carolina on Sunday, the Bears and Panthers had already combined for the highest point total of any season-opener in NFL history. The teams had gained over 900 total yards. Unsurprisingly, they were not finished scoring.D’Andre Swift punctuated Chicago’s 59-37 win with a late 28-yard score, his third rushing touchdown of the game. Swift and Kyle Monangai each topped 100 rushing yards, and the Bears had delivered 552 net yards of offense. Carolina had gained 478, which would be more than enough most weeks.Chicago’s Caleb Williams was the top-scoring fantasy quarterback Sunday, and Carolina’s Bryce Young ranked third, just behind Buffalo’s Josh Allen. Williams, in fact, had produced one of the greatest quarterback performances in recent Bears history:
Caleb Williams with the best performance for a Bears QB in a season opener since at least 2000 by passer rating (124.1), completion percentage (72.4%) and EPA per dropback (0.48) per @TruMediaSports.
Bears 59, Panthers 37
The Bears are 1-0
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) September 13, 2026He cooked the Panthers for 269 yards and two scores, rushing for 65 and two more. Just look at this filthy throw to Cole Kmet:
