In many ways, the Carolina Panthers' loss on Sunday to the Chicago Bears was promising.
Things looked particularly good for the future of starting quarterback Bryce Young, who had the first strong season opener of his pro career. Carolina also got production at tight end in the passing game and a reassuring performance at running back from Chuba Hubbard. Rookie tackle Monroe Freeling also had a solid debut after some early issues.
Defensively, it was mostly negative. But the Panthers did at least get quality contributions from new additions Devin Lloyd (13 tackles), Jaelan Phillips (one sack) and Bobby Okereke (one forced fumble).
Nevertheless, the Panthers gave up 59 points and head into Week 2 needing to beat the Atlanta Falcons on the road to avoid
an 0-2 start. As expected, they've dropped a few spots in most power rankings.
Here's a round-up of where they stand around the web . . .
USA TODAY
Rank: 23 (+1)
Author: Nate Davis
Take: They looked good (did you see the matte black helmets?). They also looked terrible − defensively − surrendering a franchise record 59 points in Sunday's loss to Chicago.
NFL.com
Rank: 27 (-4)
Author: Nick Shook
Take: Panthers fans find themselves in an awkward situation in which they can tout Bryc
e Young's strong performance and improvement on previous showings, but also must reconcile with the fact their defense surrendered 59 points and 552 yards of offense. The latter is untenable, no matter how well Young and the offense perform.
ESPN
Rank: 26 (-3)
Author: NFL Nation
Take: The No. 19 pick gave up a first-quarter sack to Bears pass rusher Montez Sweat, but Freeling settled in at right tackle as the shootout loss moved along. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Freeling allowed three total pressures on 41 pass plays. He allowed that 7.3% pressure rate despite being asked to block individually on 70.7% of his pass plays. Freeling was a starting left tackle throughout his final season at Georgia, and those outings made up the bulk of his college workload. Moving to the opposite side isn't easy, and Freeling, despite a hiccup, adapted well for a solid debut.
Pro Football Talk
Rank: 23 (-2)
Author: Mike Florio
Take: The Panthers have only themselves to blame for giving the Bears the pick that became Caleb Williams.
CBS Sports
Rank: 25 (-2)
Author: Pete Prisco
Take: The offense did its part in the loss to the Bears. But the defense was run on all day and gave up 59 points. That's embarrassing.
Sports Illustrated
Rank: 22 (-2)
Author: Conor Orr
Take: Again, this may be indicative of how porous Chicago’s defense might turn out to be, but Bryce Young played an excellent game on Sunday. His ability to make deadly throws from nearly any body position has increased with his confidence. He now looks much more like Bama Bryce than ever before.
The Athletic
Rank: 24 (-)
Author: Chad Graff and Josh Kendall
Take: The optimistic view here is that the Panthers moved the ball with ease, and Bryce Young looked good (23-for-37 passing for 361 yards, three touchdowns and an interception). But 37 points weren’t close to enough because Carolina couldn’t do anything defensively, allowing touchdowns on Chicago’s final five drives and an average of 7.9 yards per play.
Bleacher Report
Rank: 23 (-1)
Author: Brent Sobleski
Take: First, Bryce Young went punch-for-punch with fellow No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams. Young hasn't lived up to expectations during the early portion of his NFL career. More often than not, the 2023 class' top selection held back Carolina's offense. To open the 2026 campaign, Young threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns. Though he probably wants the interception back. Second, Carolina's defense didn't come to play. Ejiro Evero's unit surrendered 552 yards and allowed the Bears to score a touchdown on their last four offensive possessions. Before that point, the game was tied 31 apiece.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Where do Panthers stand in NFL power rankings after Week 1 loss to Bears?
