The 4 Things (Besides a Win) Panthers Must Show vs. Bears

The Carolina Panthers get the honor of hosting the Chicago Bears this Sunday to kick off both teams' NFL seasons. There are plenty of things we want to see happen.

Of course, a win would be excellent, and we want to see that. But we also know that the Bears and Panthers are not of the same caliber. The Bears, on paper, are better and more well-coached.

The Panthers are underdogs for a reason, so a win might not be in the cards. Week 1 has not been kind to Carolina in a long time. That said, whether they win or lose, there are some important things that need to be displayed.

Defensive improvement

Carolina Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson (2) talks with defensive coach Ejiro Evero | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This may be a huge ask for a revamped defense against Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams, of all combinations to face off against. But the Panthers have built this team to rely on the defense, and with how awful they've been for three years, we have to see some improvement.

It takes a lot to shut down a Johnson-run offense, and year-three Williams appears poised to be an MVP candidate. This Panthers defense has an immediate opportunity to prove that they can be relied on, that the investments were worth it, and that Ejiro Evero can be a good coach. We just have to see evidence of it.

More offensive variety

The Panthers ran a pretty vanilla offense last year. This year, we're not expecting the same coaching staff to reinvent the wheel, but the change in play-callers should lead to some differences. We believe that should be in variety.

The Panthers used motion in their offense about 50% of the time in 2025, which puts them in the back half of the league. That should change. There should be better screens and more creative runs. The offense doesn't need to and shouldn't be totally redone, but Brad Idzik needs to open things up.

Better pass-catcher performance

In the last two seasons, the Panthers have not had Jalen Coker for Week 1. This year, they do. That should help, but one of the biggest things we need to see is overall improvement from the pass-catching group in Carolina. They've been a weakness for far too long.

We need to see that Tetairoa McMillan has shored up the drops and can make the contested catches. We need to see that Xavier Legette is markedly improved and wasn't just playing well in meaningless practices. The other pass-catchers could stand to step up, too.

Smarter coaching

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales runs onto the field before the game | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dave Canales has not been great at time management and game management during his time as Panthers coach. They haven't been huge weaknesses, but Canales often didn't call things for the right situations. His strength has been game-planning, to give him some credit.

Now, though, he's given play-calling to Idzik, so he has less on his plate. This should allow him to be better at challenging, calling timeouts, and managing game situations. The rest of his coaching duties should improve, and we're hopeful that they will.

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