The Panthers Got Smacked By the Bears, but These 5 Things Really Matter

There are a lot of takeaways to have in any NFL game, especially the first of the year. All the offseason work led to this: a drubbing by the Chicago Bears. The Panthers gave up almost 60 points and well over 500 yards to Chicago. It was ugly. It's easy to get lost in that.

And while it's far from encouraging, there are some important things to take away, both positive and negative.

The defense is in horrible shape

Carolina Panthers linebacker Devin Lloyd (55) prepares for the snap | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There is way too much talent on defense to give up over 500 yards and 50 points. This was reminiscent of the 2024 version that allowed the most points in NFL history. It was abysmal, and they don't have the talent excuse anymore. Either Ejiro Evero needs to go, or he needs to adjust his scheme. It hasn't worked for years now, talent or not.

The Panthers were strangely undisciplined

The Bears committed a ton of penalties, but the Panthers made the most of theirs. They weren't penalized much last year, but they did commit plenty today, and they happened to be crushing. A third-down offsides when trying to get the ball back, a roughing call on second and 20, and an offside penalty on a game-saving interception come to mind.

The offense is good

The Panthers do not appear to have a defense, but they do have an offense, at least. The Bears aren't the strongest of defenses, but this was an immensely encouraging outing for the offense. Bryce Young was fantastic outside of one throw that ultimately didn't matter because it was a last-ditch toss to try to get into field goal range with five seconds left in the half.

Jalen Coker might end up as WR1

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker (18) makes a catch while defended by Chicago Bears cornerback Malik Muhammad II | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There's always been an underlying question about the Panthers' WR room, and it's been over who is actually the best. Well, on Sunday, Jalen Coker made his case. The Panthers love Tetairoa McMillan, and he's fantastic, but Coker was significantly better, and this is now several games in a row with both healthy, and Coker has simply looked better and been more productive. It's not as simple as that, but at least for this week, Coker is on top.

The tight end room might actually be valuable

The Panthers believed they had enough diverse talent in the tight end room to neither draft nor sign one. Then, they realized their error and snagged Darren Waller late. They may not have been totally off-base, though. Mitchell Evans and Darren Waller had touchdowns negated by ticky-tack penalties, and Tommy Tremble was solid. Brad Idzik did a great job getting them involved, and they might not be such a weakness.

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