Odds revealed for Panthers' reported Week 1 matchup vs. Bears

In the era of the 24-hour news cycle, the NFL schedule is mostly already known before it's officially revealed at 8:00 p.m. ET. While we don't have the full picture for the Carolina Panthers yet, a bunch of games have already been leaked for the 2026 season.

The biggest news item is that the Panthers will open the season at home against the Chicago Bears, the reigning NFC North champions at Bank of America Stadium. But despite the home-field advantage, the early odds have Chicago favored by 2.5 points . . .

The Bears pulled off a stunning turnaround in 2025 thanks to the addition of the first gifted offensive playcaller in their 100-year history, head coach Ben Johnson. He got a very impressive second season out of quarterback Caleb Williams—who posted nearly 4,000 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, 7 interceptions and a 90.1 passer rating.

As usual, Chicago has a strong ground game, with running back D'Andre Swift reaching over 1,000 rushing yards and nine touchdowns and backup Kyle Monangai chipping in another 783 yards and five scores. Rookie tight end Tight end Colston Loveland led a balanced passing game with 713 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

While their secondary is stacked, the Bears no longer have a solid defensive front-seven and finished last season ranked 22nd in sacks. They ranked the same in passing yards allowed per game and even lower (27th) against the run.

Nevertheless, their vastly-improved offense pushed the team to an 11-6 record, which was good enough for first place in an extremely tight division race. They'd go on to lose to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs in a close finish.