You'll never see more surprises in the NFL than you do the first Sunday of the season. That's because it's a new year—and as yet, nobody knows exactly how each team is going to look.
Some analysts think the Carolina Panthers could be one of the league's biggest surprises throughout the new campaign. In fact, one senior writer believes the shock will begin right away.
Here's Vic Tafur at The Athletic on why he's taking the Panthers to beat the Chicago Bears in Week 1:
We’re all for Week 1 shenanigans, and we’re calling for some immediate regression here, as the Bears won six games last season where they trailed with two minutes or less remaining. The Panthers added pass rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd, and the Bears are a little
gimpy at receiver coming out of the gate. Home dog, please.
Literally anything can happen in one random NFL game, especially when it's the first of the season. That said, the Panthers' best shot at upsetting the Bears is probably getting into a high-scoring shootout.
Carolina spent big to upgrade its defensive front seven this year by bringing in Phillips and Lloyd. However, even if this defense has significantly improved, they face a very difficult test against what was a fringe top-five scoring offense in 2025. Bears head coach Ben Johnson is one of the game's most gifted offensive play-callers, and his unit is loaded with playmakers on this side of the ball.
But in a radical departure from most of their 100+ year history, Chicago is now one of the league's worst defensive teams. They finished the 2025 season ranked 29th in yardage allowed and 23rd in scoring.
If Panthers offensive coordinator Brad Idzik and quarterback Bryce Young can start the year on the right note and they get contributions from the run game, a battle until the end is definitely in the cards—and that's where these Panthers are at their best.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers predicted to upset Bears in Week 1
