Caleb Williams threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 65 yards and two more scores as the Chicago Bears defeated the Carolina Panthers 59-37 on Sunday in the highest-scoring season opener in NFL history.
Chicago Bears fans packed Weather Mark Tavern in the South Loop on Sunday, cheering a season-opening victory over the Carolina Panthers that produced a record-setting performance and renewed optimism for the year ahead.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
Chicago and Carolina scored eight more points than the previous record of 88 set in Tampa Bay’s 48-40 win over New Orleans in 2018.
Coach Ben Johnson’s prolific Bears also broke a franchise record for points in an opener, a mark that had stood since 1948, when Chicago hung 45 points on Green Bay at Wrigley Field. The 59 points were the most allowed by the Panthers in team history.
D’Andre Swift, who received a $33.75 million contract extension earlier this week, ran for 124 yards on 18 carries with three touchdowns, while Kyle Monangai had 100 yards rushing, including a 61-yard touchdown burst.
It was the fourth-most points in Bears history. The most came in their notorious 73-0 win over Washington in the 1940 NFL title game.
Bryce Young threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a score for Carolina. Jalen Coker had eight catches for a career-high 138 yards and two TDs.
Williams looked like an MVP candidate, completing several pinpoint passes while racking up 196 yards through the air in the first half, including a perfectly placed 22-yard touchdown strike to Cole Kmet.
He also ran for 52 yards and two TDs before the break as the Bears took a 31-24 lead into the locker room.
Chicago’s lead might have been more had it not been for a questionable decision by Johnson and the play of Young.
Yoiung was 11 of 17 for 193 yards and two TDs before the break, the highlight coming on a 51-yard strike to Coker. Young also scrambled for a 7-yard touchdown after Johnson decided to run a quarterback sneak on a fourth-and-2 at the Chicago 21 that came up short.
It end up not mattering. Mistakes ended the Panthers’ hopes in the second half.
After Chuba Hubbard scored his second TD to tie the game at 31-all, Carolina defensive end Derrick Brown was flagged for a late hit on Williams, allowing a drive to continue. That led to Swift’s 1-yard TD run.
The Panthers went for it on fourth down near midfield on their next possession but Young couldn’t connect with last year’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Tetairoa McMillan, on a lofted pass down the left sideline.
Chicago cashed in on the next play as Monangai broke through a hole in the middle and raced 61 yards for a 45-31 lead.
On Carolina’s next drive, McMillan fumbled, giving the Bears the ball back. Williams cashed in with a scoring strike to a wide-open Jahdea Walker for a 52-31 lead with 6:27 remaining.
Bears fans celebrate record-setting season opener win over Panthers
The crowd at Weather Mark Tavern in Chicago closely followed a game filled with big plays, tense moments and plenty of scoring as the Bears opened the season in dramatic fashion.
Fans said their support for the team has endured through both highs and lows.
“The Bears fans are quite supportive and have been through the best years and the worst years,” Bears fan James Compton said. “I don’t know about being patient, they’re loyal.”
That loyalty was rewarded with a game for the record books.
The Bears scored 31 points in the first half and finished with 59 points, the most the team has ever scored in a season opener. With Carolina adding 37 points, the teams combined for 96 points, making it the highest-scoring Week 1 game in NFL history.
The atmosphere inside the tavern grew electric as the game progressed and the Bears pulled away after Carolina kept it close early.
Asked to describe the Bears fan base, fan Kendall Rasch said, “Loyal, fantastic, and the best people on earth.”
Many fans left the game feeling encouraged about the team’s prospects this season.
“I feel like it reinvigorated my hope and everyone’s hope for the Bears. I think that it was just very electric and we have a really good team and I think we’re only going to be better this year,” Bears fan Krista Kaleel said.
Fans also credited quarterback Caleb Williams and head coach Ben Johnson for the strong performance.
“Williams performed I thought quite well and I think they’ve improved their winning game. Swift has looked pretty good today so I’m optimistic myself,” Compton said.
Following last year’s playoff run, some fans said the season-opening victory has already raised expectations.
“I think that we’re going to go to the Super Bowl. I think that we have the possibility to go to the Super Bowl, we have a really good team. I think that the momentum and just the drive from everyone and all of the fans backing us too is really powerful,” Kaleel said.
As celebrations continued at Weather Mark Tavern, fans acknowledged there is a long season ahead but said the Bears could not have asked for a better start.
Injuries
Bears: LT Braxton Jones left late in the third quarter with an upper-body injury. CB Tyrique Stevenson departed in the third quarter with a shoulder injury.
Panthers: DT Bobby Brown left in the second half with a back injury.
Up next
Bears: Host Minnesota next Sunday.
Panthers: At Atlanta next Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
About the Author
