CHICAGO (AP) — Colston Loveland was shut out. Rome Odunze had just two receptions on the day. Luther Burden lost an early fumble.
The long-term sustainability of Chicago's prolific offensive performance in Week 1 might be more about who was along for the ride on Sunday than the Bears' biggest stars in a 59-37 victory at Carolina. Loveland, Odunze and Burden were mostly quiet against the Panthers — at least statistically — and it didn't matter at all.
“We got a lot of weapons, so I mean, the ball go to whoever," wide receiver Jahdae Walker said Monday. "We all are capable of making plays and that just shows (the depth) in our receiver and offensive rooms.”
Walker caught one of Caleb Williams' two touchdown passes, a 1-yarder in the fourth quarter. Williams also rushed for 65 yards and two TDs as the Bears gained 291 yards on the ground in the highest scoring opener in franchise history.
“It’s further along right now than where we started a year ago in terms of that running game,” coach Ben Johnson said. “I knew it was going to take a minute. To see our starting point this year and what we can build off of, it’s really encouraging.”
Loveland, Odunze and Burden were three of Chicago's top four receivers last year, when the Bears went 11-6 and won the NFC North for the first time since 2018. Loveland had 58 receptions for 713 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie tight end. Burden finished with 47 catches for 652 yards and two TDs in his first year, and Odunze had 44 receptions for 661 yards and six TDs in his second NFL season.
Loveland had no catches in the opener against the Panthers. Odunze had a terrific 47-yard reception in the first quarter, and then one more catch for 5 yards the rest of the way. Burden coughed up the ball on Chicago's first possession and finished with five receptions for 63 yards.
Loveland, Odunze and Burden likely will show up in a major way soon, and in the meantime, the Bears made the most of an opportunity to show off their offensive depth.
“We all believe in each other,” Walker said. “We see it during practice. Everybody making plays. So it’s like, he make a play, I’m gonna try to go make a play to keep the momentum sustained. So it’s just fun having a group like this and everybody young and we all just striving to be better each and every day, so it’s just fun to be in this group.”
Johnson likes to say, “No block, no rock,” a familiar football mantra. And Chicago's receivers and tight ends had a big day with their downfield blocking against Carolina. The Bears had four runs of 25-plus yards, equaling their total from all of last season.
“That certainly showed up on the tape,” Johnson said. “We had a lot of our little guys going down and making big plays for us on the running game that ended up being some big runs for us.”
The defense, especially up front and in the secondary, was a major question for Chicago going into the season. After Week 1, it remains a concern.
Chicago recorded just two sacks while Carolina's Bryce Young was 23 for 37 for 361 yards and three touchdowns. The Panthers also rushed for 125 yards on 22 attempts.
Kalif Raymond made a solid first impression in his Bears debut, finishing with a team-high eight receptions for 84 yards. He also returned a punt for 23 yards in the first game of his 10th NFL season.
Raymond, who signed a one-year contract in free agency, was targeted a team-high nine times, indicating a rapport with Williams. The 32-year-old Raymond could play a key role as Chicago's opponents focus their attention on fellow receivers Odunze and Burden.
It was a rough opener for Tyrique Stevenson. The fourth-year cornerback was burned by Jalen Coker on a 51-yard touchdown reception with 12:40 left in the second quarter. He also had a missed tackle on Coker's 8-yard TD catch late in the fourth.
Left tackle Braxton Jones (upper body) and Stevenson (shoulder) got hurt during the win, but Johnson said the team came away from the game “in pretty good shape.”
6 — The Bears rushed for six TDs against the Panthers, matching the 1920 Detroit Heralds, 1920 Rock Island Independents and 1922 Canton Bulldogs for the most in a season opener in NFL history.
The Bears host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. They split their two games against Minnesota last season, losing 27-24 in Week 1 at Soldier Field and winning 19-17 on Nov. 16 on Cairo Santos' 48-yard field goal as time expired.
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