Ben Johnson has made it clear from the jump: he isn’t interested in small goals.
Back in the summer, the Chicago Bears head coach said he wanted Caleb Williams and the offense to chase history and become the highest-scoring attack the NFL has ever seen. After one week of the 2026 season, that sounded ambitious. After Sunday’s 59-point demolition of the Carolina Panthers, it sounds a lot less like talk.
Johnson stood by that outlook in his postgame press conference. His reasoning was simple: if you’re not aiming high, what are you even doing in the NFL?
The Bears’ offense - and specifically the offense, not the whole team - looked every bit like a unit trying to overwhelm opponents rather than merely get by. It was not a “mediocre or average” operation. It was a group that came out and ran the Panthers off the field.
And for one wild afternoon, the production matched the ambition.
Chicago’s 59 points were the third-most in franchise history and the second-most ever scored in a Week 1 game in NFL history. For a franchise that has been around for more than a century, that’s staggering stuff.
Even more impressive, the Bears did it without a single touchdown from defense or special teams. All eight of their touchdowns came on offense. And none of their top three pass-catchers - Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, and Colston Loveland - found the end zone on any of them.
Of course, the day wasn’t perfect. If anything is going to keep this offense in overdrive, it might be the other side of the ball.
Chicago’s defense had a rough enough showing against Bryce Young and the Panthers that the Bears never really had the luxury of easing up. In plain terms, this team may need to keep scoring 30-plus points every week just to stay in the fight.
The encouraging part for Johnson and the Bears is that Sunday suggested they can.
As for the NFL’s single-season team scoring record, that still belongs to the 2013 Broncos, who piled up 606 points in a 16-game season with Peyton Manning. Right now, the Bears are on pace for more than 1,000 points over a 17-game schedule, though that kind of pace is probably not built to last.
In Other News...
Panthers Suddenly Have A D-Line Concern They Couldn't Afford
The Panthers defensive line, already a spot that could not afford much more strain, took another hit during the game when Bobby Brown went down after appearing to tweak his back and had to be helped off the field. Derrick Brown also was shaken up, adding to the uneasy feeling around a unit that has been asked to absorb too much change already.
Even with Derrick Brown eventually returning, the combination of in-game injury trouble and earlier roster turnover leaves Carolina watching one of its most important groups with real concern. For a defense that leans on its front to hold up the rest of the scheme, the margin for error suddenly looks awfully thin. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Loss Could Bring Another Problem Fans Wont Like
A rough afternoon for the Panthers got a little worse when Derrick Brown was flagged for roughing the passer on a late hit against Caleb Williams, a penalty that extended a Chicago drive and fed into the Bears eventual 59-37 win. It was the kind of moment that can linger long after the final whistle, especially in a game where Carolina needed cleaner football and instead kept giving Chicago extra chances.
Browns hit is also the sort of play the league tends to take a second look at, and that opens the door to possible additional fines or discipline. For a Panthers team already searching for answers after a lopsided loss, the last thing it needs is another reminder that one mistake can carry consequences beyond the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Fans Have Every Reason To Question Ejiro Evero Now
The Panthers spent the offseason pouring resources into their defense, hoping better talent would finally translate into better results. Instead, the unit was overwhelmed in a lopsided loss to the Bears, surrendering 52 points and more than 500 yards of offense in a performance that looked nothing like a group built to take a step forward.
Ejiro Evero is now in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. When a defense is upgraded and still gets pushed around that badly, the conversation shifts quickly from personnel to coaching, and Carolina has every reason to wonder whether the scheme, the adjustments and the overall direction are getting enough out of what was added to the roster. [Read more 🡒]