The Chicago Bears will battle the Carolina Panthers to open the 2026 NFL season, where they'll be looking to get second-year head coach Ben Johnson a win in Week 1.
The Bears are coming off an impressive 11-6 season, where first-year head coach Ben Johnson led his team from worst to first, an NFC North title and a playoff win. He also helped lead one of the NFL's top offenses, which included a top-three rushing attack and exciting young quarterback in Caleb Williams. But there were some struggles on defense, and it's more of the same heading into the 2026 season.
Chicago kicks off the 2026 season with a crucial NFC matchup against a Panthers team coming off an NFC South title. While the Bears are the clear-cut favorite in this one, it won't be
a gimme win by any means.
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Bears vs. Panthers odds, money line, over/under
Bears vs. Panthers predictions, picks for Week 1
Alyssa Barbieri
Bears 27, Panthers 20: At first glance, this is a favorable matchup for the Bears to open the season, but it's far from a gimme game for a Panthers team coming off an NFC South title and with talent on both sides of the ball. This game will be much closer than the previous meeting, where the Bears blew out the Panthers back in 2024. But Chicago is finally able to play a complete game and escapes Carolina with a 1-0 start.
Brendan Sugrue
Bears 27, Panthers 23: The Bears get a close win thanks to some timely takeaways on defense courtesy of Young, while Williams has a steady season debut to get Chicago their first Week 1 road victory since 2020 (and their first one in front of fans since 2008).
Mike Pendleton
Bears 35, Panthers 17: If Week 1 is all about making a statement and finding out who your team can be this season, head coach Ben Johnson is likely going to keep his foot on the gas pedal on Sunday afternoon. For the Bears to pull this type of victory off, they’re going to have to do the big things they emphasized in the offseason: Start early, don’t play hero ball, and lean into their high-powered offensive unit.
Vincent Parise
Bears 24, Panthers 20: In the end, Ben Johnson’s offense led by by third year quarterback Caleb Williams should be the difference in pulling out a hard fought victory. This has the makings of a week 1 letdown, which is common in the NFL, but Ben Johnson may have his guys prepared to overcome that. Pulling out the 24-20 win to start 1-0 could set them up for success as September goes along. It just won’t be as easy as some folks think.
Ariana Pensy
Bears 28, Panthers 21: The first game of the season is always the hardest to figure out, especially given the very little preseason action the starters on either team had. But in the end, Chicago will come out on top. It will be a close game, but in the end, the Bears come out on top by controlling time of possession with the run game and probably getting a turnover or two defensively.
Randy Holt
Bears 28, Panthers 20: Given the little we saw starters across the trio of preseason games, it’s difficult to get a gauge on where things stand. If perception is to be believed, though, it feels like the offense is in a really good place. While the Panthers will hardly be a pushover, this is one of the few games where the Bears are a clear-cut favorite.
Bears-Panthers injury reports
Bears vs. Panthers time, TV channel today
- Kickoff time: 12 p.m. CT
- TV Channel: FOX
- How to watch online: Watch FuboTV (here's how to stream it live)
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Panthers predictions, picks, odds: Who wins Week 1 NFL game?
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