Bears at Panthers
Chicago Bears 20, Carolina Panthers 7 · Underground LG 27 Madden
Final Score
Bears 20 2 TD · 2 FG · 2 XP
Panthers 7 1 TD · 0 FG · 1 XPBryce Young 222 yds passingD'Andre Swift 97 yds rushingZavion Thomas 99 yds receivingBobby Okereke 10 tkl defenseTotal yards 323 · 278Passing yards 189 · 222Rushing yards 134 · 56Completions 24/31 · 21/49Yards per carry 4.6 · 2.8Recap
Franchise Hub Beat · 1d ago
In a decisive Week 1 matchup of the 2026 season, the Chicago Bears defeated the Carolina Panthers 20-7, showcasing a strong start to their campaign. Both teams aimed to set the tone for the year, but it was the Bears who emerged victorious, solidifying their early playoff aspirations.
Caleb Williams led the Bears' offense with two touchdown passes, demonstrating his poise in the pocket. D'Andre Swift was a key contributor on the ground, racking up 97 rushing yards, while Zavion Thomas proved to be a reliable target, amassing 99 receiving yards. This dynamic trio propelled Chicago's scoring efforts and kept the Panthers' defense on their heels throughout the game.
Defensively, the Bears made crucial plays that swung momentum in their favor. Austin Booker recorded a sack, adding pressure to the Panthers' quarterback, Bryce Young, who threw for 222 yards but struggled to find the end zone. The game’s turning point came when Dillon Thieneman intercepted a pass, halting a potential Carolina drive and allowing the Bears to maintain control, ultimately sealing their victory.
Box Score
| Player | C/A | PCT | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | ||||||
| Caleb WilliamsQB | 24/31 | 77% | 189 | 2 | 0 | 113.5 |
| Panthers | ||||||
| Bryce YoungQB | 21/49 | 43% | 222 | 0 | 1 | 48.1 |
| Player | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | |||||||
| D'Andre SwiftHB | 12 | 97 | 8.1 | 55 | 0 | 46 | 0 |
| Kyle MonangaiHB | 11 | 25 | 2.3 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Caleb WilliamsQB | 6 | 12 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Zavion ThomasWR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Panthers | |||||||
| Jonathon BrooksHB | 5 | 22 | 4.4 | — | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| Chuba HubbardHB | 9 | 20 | 2.2 | 19 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Bryce YoungQB | 6 | 14 | 2.3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Darren WallerTE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tommy TrembleTE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | |||||||
| Zavion ThomasWR | 8 | 99 | 12.4 | 33 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Rome OdunzeWR | 5 | 49 | 9.8 | 9 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Luther Burden IIIWR | 3 | 27 | 9.0 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 0 |
| Colston LovelandTE | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | — | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| Cole KmetTE | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| D'Andre SwiftHB | 3 | 1 | 0.3 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Kyle MonangaiHB | 2 | -3 | -1.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Panthers | |||||||
| Darren WallerTE | 6 | 59 | 9.8 | 26 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Tetairoa McMillanWR | 4 | 48 | 12.0 | 6 | 0 | 30 | 2 |
| Xavier LegetteWR | 4 | 40 | 10.0 | 16 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Tommy TrembleTE | 3 | 39 | 13.0 | 10 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Chuba HubbardHB | 3 | 38 | 12.7 | 24 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Jalen CokerWR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jonathon BrooksHB | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | |||||
| Dillon ThienemanSS | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Devin BushMIKE | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. EdwardsWILL | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaylon JohnsonCB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| D'Marco JacksonWILL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Coby BryantFS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Austin BookerLEDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan van den BergDT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeffery SimmonsDT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Noah SewellSAM | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Clark Phillips IIICB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grady JarrettDT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dayo OdeyingboREDG | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyrique Stevenson SrCB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jack SanbornMIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Montez SweatLEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyler GordonCB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Panthers | |||||
| Bobby OkerekeMIKE | 10 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike JacksonCB | 9 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tyrel DodsonWILL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chau Smith-WadeCB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick ScottSS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaycee HornCB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tre'von MoehrigFS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Devin LloydWILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaelan PhillipsLEDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick BrownDT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nic ScourtonLEDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lee HunterDT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zakee WheatleyFS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | FG | XP | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | |||
| Cairo SantosK | 2/2 | 2 | 52 |
| Panthers | |||
| Ryan FitzgeraldK | 0/0 | 1 | 0 |