The Chicago Bears head into Year 2 of the Caleb Williams
and Ben Johnson era. They earned a ton of success in the first year of this QB-coach partnership, and this season they are hungry for much more. Another Trojan alumnus, Sam Darnold, made history last season, becoming the first Trojan quarterback to start in and win the Super Bowl. Caleb Williams will try to join Sam as a Super Bowl winner this season.Here is how Week 1 will pan out for Caleb Williams and the Bears:
Caleb Williams will throw for 300 yards in his season debut
The Carolina Panthers' pass defense ranks 28th in the NFL heading into this season. They will be no match for Caleb and the young pass catchers he has. Caleb Williams has weapons with the versatility and speed to find the end zone early and often in this game. I expect each of the Bears'
pass catchers to make a couple of plays. Caleb and Ben Johnson will lean on the pass attack, and big plays will set the tone in this game. Caleb will finish with 300 passing yards on Sunday.
Caleb's favorite target will be Colston Loveland
All training camp long, Caleb Williams was finding Colston Loveland. Loveland carved up the Bears' defense every practice, it seemed. The trust is there between the two potential stars. Their connection will be special this season, and I think they will get off to a hot start against Carolina. Loveland will explode for 100 yards receiving in Game 1 and will help Caleb get over 300 yards through the air with ease.
Bears' offense will look like the best in the NFL
The Bears' passing attack will be lethal on Sunday. Caleb Williams will deliver a top-quarterback-level performance. The run game will be a very big complement to it. This game has a very good chance of being a high-scoring type of game. The Bears' offense will showcase why it had a lot of excitement and high expectations heading into the season. Everyone on the offense has a year under their belt with Ben Johnson. That experience will bode extremely well for the Bears this year. It will be evident in Game 1. I think the Bears will win this game in part due to their offense, and the Bears' offense will finish the week being viewed as the best in the league.
Bears' defense will force this game to be closer than it should
The Bears' defense will be leaning on a rookie safety, a veteran safety in Xavier Woods, and a 6th-round draft pick on the defensive line. Bryce Young is a quarterback who can take advantage of those types of holes on defense. I do not think Young throws for 300 yards, but I think he has a good enough game for this game to go down to the wire. The Bears' defense will still look like a huge concern following this game.
Austin Booker will get two sacks
Austin Booker is a huge X-factor for the Bears this season. I think he ends up being a bright spot for the Bears' defense in this game. The Bears' defense has a ton of question marks. Booker will look to be an answer to at least one of them. Booker will shine in his season debut and take down Bryce Young multiple times in this game. The Panthers do not have elite guys at tackle, and rookie Monroe Freeling will prove to be a great target for Booker to take advantage of on Sunday.
Contact/Follow @TrojansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of USC Trojans news, notes and opinion.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Caleb Williams will start 2026 NFL season with an elite performance
