The Good and Not So Good From Bears' Historic Week 1 win over Panthers

There was a lot to like about the Chicago Bears Week 1 win, but there were some not so good things, also.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) looks to throw in the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Chicago Bears' Week 1 win over the Carolina Panthers saw polar opposite performances from the offense and defense.

Caleb Williams and the Bears' offense was just about flawless and simply could not be stopped. Head coach Ben Johnson said before the season started that he wanted to break the scoring record and the Bears are off to a great start after dropping 59 on Carolina, which also happened to be a franchise record for a season-opener.

Meanwhile, Chicago's defense couldn't stop much and it was an ugly day overall, although the unit made the plays it needed to in order to make the offense's outstanding performance stand.

Now, let's go through the good and not so good from the Bears' Week 1 win over the Panthers.

Good: Rookie contributions

Chicago Bears cornerback Malik Muhammad (24) after a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Talk about impressive debuts for Malik Muhammad and Dillon Thieneman.

Thieneman did a little bit of everything. He was good in coverage and notched one pass defensed, he had a team-high seven tackles, including one run stop, and Thieneman even got a hit on the quarterback.

Meanwhile, Muhammad was one of the stars of the game with his three tackles, two passes defensed and one interception that showed the rookie's fantastic ball skills. Muhammad started the game in the slot, but he also saw looks on the boundary following Tyrique Stevenson's brief exit due to injury.

Not sure the Bears could have asked for any better from their rookie defensive backs in Week 1.

Not so good: Self-inflicted wounds

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson looks on from the sideline in the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bears committed 12 penalties for 57 yards and an early turnover by Luther Burden set the Panthers up for a touchdown.

We also didn't love Ben Johnson going for it on fourth down from his own 20-yard line in the second quarter, and what made the play even worse was that he dialed up a QB sneak instead of just running his offense, which was unstoppable. The Panthers turned that into a touchdown, also.

“I stunk it up," Johnson told Jason McKie of ESPN 1000 at halftime. "(The offense) covered my butt”.

After what we saw today, the only thing that can stop this Bears offense is self-inflicted wounds.

Good: Caleb Williams and the offense

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) scrambles with the ball in the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Caleb. Williams. My goodness. The third-year signal-caller could do no wrong on Sunday.

He went through his progressions, made the right reads, his throws were precise, and he took off to run at the perfect times. Williams didn't turn the ball over, either.

Our favorite throw was the dime he dropped in over the shoulder of Cole Kmet for the touchdown in the first half. Great throw, great catch on that play.

And just about everyone not named Colston Loveland made contributions.

D'Andre Swift was rock-solid and consistent. Kyle Monangai broke loose for a monster touchdown run (and a Luther Burden block helped spring him), Rome Odunze Moss'd a guy, and Kalif Raymond was the leading receiver with his eight catches for 84 yards.

Last but not least, the pass protection and run-blocking was about as good as the Bears could've hoped for.

The skies the limit for this offense in 2026.

Not so good: The defense

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker (18) catches the ball while defended by Chicago Bears defensive back Tyrique Stevenson (29) in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

We touched on how the offense put the defense in a tough spot a few times, but that does not erase everything else the defense put on tape.

The Panthers didn't finish with a ton of yards on the ground, but a lot of that had to do with Carolina having to throw a ton to keep up with the Bears' explosive offense. That said, when the Panthers did run the ball, they were picking up about five yards per tote.

The Panthers did, however, throw for 361 yards and three scores and were able to make big plays down the field. Carolina finished with a handful of plays of over 20 yards, including a 51-yard play that saw Jalen Coker cook Tyrique Stevenson.

Chicago entered the season with the defense being a major concern and nothing we saw on Sunday erased that.