The Chicago Bears start their 2026 campaign with a trip to Charlotte to take on the Carolina Panthers.
Both teams saw surprise playoff berths last season, which included division crowns.
Now, the teams face the difficult follow-up act.
Regression, one-season wonder, or lucky- these labels are going to stick with them until they can prove otherwise.
What’s it going to take for the Chicago Bears to come home victorious on Sunday? We asked our staff.
Sam: It’s a battle of the trenches for me. We know Ben
Johnson wants to establish his ground game. The Bears should have a slight edge here. The Panthers already have several key injuries along their offensive line. The Bears’ defensive line will have their hands full, but outside of the shaky left tackle situation, the Bears are established up front. Pound the rock, get pressure on Bryce Young and grind out a win.
ECD: Offense: Get into a rhythm early and take that next step in the passing game. It’s going to be super hot and humid while playing against a team that has been coached to take advantage of mistakes. Once a good 2-score lead is built, let the ground game grind their defense to dust.
Defense: Do something to put pressure on Bryce Young. A good chunk of their running game may be out of action due to injuries, and their offensive line doesn’t strike fear. This might be their easiest matchup up front for a good while.
Special Teams: Use all that speed between to your advantage Kalif Raymond and Zavion Thomas to your advantage. I feel both players are capable of generating explosive returns against a rather soft bunch coverage-wise.
Lester: The NFL season is a marathon, so the Bears should lean on the running game in Week 1 to establish their identity. Ground and pound while rotating in the skill players all afternoon to keep everyone fresh in what could he a hot day in Carolina. On defense, the pass rush might be a work in progress, but get those hands up to hamper 5’10” Bryce Young.
Josh: The offense just needs to pick up where it left off. A balance of hard running and explosives from Caleb should be enough to rock the Carolina defense. What needs to happen on defense, though, is more important. They have to find a way to force Young off-schedule. That means somehow stifling the run and forcing the Panthers to rely on their quarterback. If they can shut down the easy stuff, they should be able to carry the day.
Gary: Offense needs to continue its upward trajectory we saw on the tail end of 2025, Panthers have a revamped defense and should be much better then their bottom 1/3rd finish in 2025. Luckily, we have one of the best offensive minds in the business at HC and a QB hungry to continue his upward trajectory. I think, like most, I’m not sold on the defense until I see it, but if I’m being blunt, Bryce Young is one of the few QBs in the league I don’t necessarily fear. That said he is capable of dropping points and had his Panthers in a dogfight with the Rams in the Wild Card. May need a couple turnovers to help, but I expect a 2-score win.
DGooch: Offense: no turnovers, establish the run game, spam the play-action pass to limit the effectiveness of the Panthers’ rush and protect Braxton Jones. I fully expect Ben will have a couple of wow trick plays to flip the field. On defense: STOP THE RUN. That is the key to the entire defense. Stopping the run yields longer down-and-distances where the rush will have a chance to get there. On the back end, the defense needs to gel. So many new faces at both levels and injuries have kept the Bears’ secondary from being on the field much with their starters in camp or in the preseason games. As will be true all year, the defense’s job is not to lose the game. Caleb and the offense will go win it.
What are your keys for a Bears victory?
