The Bears came away from Week 1 victorious, marching into Carolina and picking up the 59-37 victory. The game marked the highest-scoring season opener in NFL history, and it also marked the most points the Bears have scored in a single game in the 21st century.
As one could expect by the score, the Bears’ offense was incredible on Sunday. The defense? Not so much. There’s a lot to nitpick from how Chicago looked defensively, but given how dominant it was on offense, it’s hard to come away from the Week
1 matchup and not feel optimistic about this team.
The analytics tend to back up the eye test. But which players fared the best? Each week, I’ll be reviewing how each of Chicago’s eligible performers graded by Pro Football Network’s Impact Scoring model. Here’s what Week 1 looked like.
Offense
- Caleb Williams: 85.5 (4th of 30 QBs)
- D’Andre Swift: 87.3 (2nd of 45 RBs)
- Kyle Monangai: 81.4 (5th of 45 RBs)
- Kalif Raymond: 72.4 (40th of 64 WRs)
- Luther Burden III: 64.2 (62nd of 64 WRs)
- Cole Kmet: 70.4 (20th of 31 TEs)
- Braxton Jones: 77.2 (28th of 62 OTs)
- Joe Thuney: 66.7 (54th of 57 OGs)
- Garrett Bradbury: 67.3 (26th of 30 Cs)
- Jonah Jackson: 82.6 (7th of 57 OGs)
- Darnell Wright: 83.9 (2nd of 62 OTs)
All told, a lot of these grades pair up with how the Bears looked on tape. Caleb Williams was the star of the show on Sunday, scoring four total touchdowns and not giving up any interceptions. His 72.4% completion percentage and 124.1 passer rating were each among the best on the offensive side of the ball. I was admittedly surprised to see Joe Thuney so low, but for the most part, Chicago’s offensive line held up pretty well. I came away impressed with their ability to generate movement and take precise angles in the run game.
As one could expect given how many points they score, the Bears had the highest PFN Offense Impact Score in the league at 92.5. Their 0.36 EPA per play tied for the most in the NFL, as did their 7.9 yards per play. Coincidentally, the team the Bears tied with in the latter statistic was the Ravens, whose offensive play-caller is former Chicago offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. It was a good week for the Ben Johnson tree.
Defense
- Montez Sweat: 76.7 (28th of 99 EDGEs)
- James Lynch: 60.7 (60th of 99 EDGEs)
- Kentavius Street: 79.9 (9th of 84 DTs)
- Grady Jarrett: 68.4 (36th of 84 DTs)
- Austin Booker: 52.0 (94th of 99 EDGEs)
- Dayo Odeyingbo: 51.2 (96th of 99 EDGEs)
- Devin Bush: 79.1 (20th of 62 LBs)
- Malik Muhammad: 81.5 (8th of 86 CBs)
- Jaylon Johnson: 65.4 (76th of 86 CBs)
- Tyrique Stevenson: 59.3 (86th of 86 CBs)
- Dillon Thieneman: 75.0 (19th of 75 SAFs)
- Cam Lewis: 71.3 (47th of 75 SAFs)
It’s not particularly shocking that the Bears didn’t grade incredibly well on defense. Their only two defenders to finish with a top-ten score at their respective positions were Kentavius Street, who had a sack on Sunday, and Malik Muhammad, who had an interception in his NFL debut. Muhammad was particularly impressive, as the rookie allowed a targeted passer rating of just 39.8 against Carolina. However, both Jaylon Johnson and Tyroque Stevenson finished as below-average starters, with Stevenson finishing Week 1 with the lowest PFN CB Impact Score in the league.
Heading into Monday Night Football, the Bears rank just No. 24 among 30 defenses with a 68.2 PFN Defense Impact Score. Their 68.7 pass-defense score ranks No. 24 in the NFL, though their run-defense score of 74.4 ranks higher with a serviceable No. 17 ranking. The 7.7 yards per play they allowed tied for the third-most in the league, which is surely a mark Chicago will look to improve upon in future matchups.
Special teams (for the sickos)
- Cairo Santos: 77.6 (14th of 26 Ks)
- Tory Taylor: 76.7 (19th of 29 Ps)
Cairo Santos was penalized twice on Sunday for having his kicks fall short of the landing zone on kickoffs, giving the Panthers improved field positioning. That said, his 8-for-8 mark on extra points and converted field goal try from 40 yards out give him an average score. Conversely, Tory Taylor only punted twice, granting the Bears +3 net yards over expected. His 51.0 net yards per punt tied for ninth in the NFL on a small sample size.
