Week 1 has come and gone, and all that can be said about the Chicago Bears is…whoa.
That was the reaction when the Bears turned the ball over on their first drive of the season in their own territory, leading to an early 7-0 Carolina lead. And it was still the reaction at the end of the game, after Chicago bested Carolina 59-37 in the highest-scoring season opener in NFL history.
Despite such a win, there are plenty of uncertainties that remain. Here, I’ll try to answer three questions that feed into the biggest mystery of all: just how good can this Bears team be?
Can this be the highest-scoring offense in NFL history?
Back in August, Bears head coach Ben Johnson said that his goal for the offense was to surpass the 2013 Denver Broncos, who averaged the most ever points per game, at 37.9. Of course, such a goal was always going to be lofty.
But after what Chicago displayed on Sunday, achieving that goal is certainly not impossible, and that’s thanks to Johnson’s run-first approach.
The Bears rushed for 291 yards and six touchdowns against the Panthers, who placed 20th in the league in yards rushing allowed per game in 2025. Veteran running back D’Andre Swift amassed 124 yards on 16 carries with three touchdowns, second-year RB Kyle Monangai had 100 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Caleb Williams (more on him later) scrambled for two touchdowns to round out the day on the ground.
Some incredible numbers, yes, but it would be silly of me to say that sort of eruption will occur every week.
Chicago has some of the league’s top run defenses in Seattle and New England left on its schedule, and the points likely won’t flow as freely the rest of the season like they did Week 1.
I don’t think Chicago will average more points per game than Denver did in 2013 - I’m not sure any unit ever will. But don’t be surprised if this offense is one of, if not the league’s best in scoring and yardage after 16 more games.
What’s in store for Caleb Williams this year?
When judging young quarterbacks, one concept gets thrown around repeatedly: the “third-year jump.”
It makes some amount of sense: a quarterback should show significant improvement from their second year to their third year in the league. If they don’t, fans and media might begin describing that QB as a bust.
A major gripe about Caleb Williams’ first two NFL seasons was with his completion percentage, as he ranked 32nd of 33 qualified quarterbacks in that statistic a year ago. Whether you put stock into that metric or not, the fact is Williams addressed it on Sunday, as he completed 72.4% of his passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns.
Looking past the numbers is even more encouraging. Williams made his superman throws when needed, but he also took more of his underneath options. To add on, he’s one of the best in avoiding turnovers
If that trend continues, even with the inevitable bumps in the road, Chicago’s QB should be primed for one of those third year jumps…perhaps, even into MVP conversations.
Where is Chicago’s ceiling defensively?
Takeaways were the key to success for the Bears defense last season. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s unit led the NFL in turnovers, and Chicago went 9-0 when forcing at least two.
This year, it might be more of the same, if Week 1 is anything to go by. The Bears only had one takeaway against Carolina: a diving interception late in the first half by rookie defensive back Malik Muhammad II. Aside from that, Chicago got gashed through the air - Panthers quarterback Bryce Young had 361 yards passing.
If the offense comes back to Earth, then allowing 37 points in a game probably won’t get the job done for the Bears.
It’s not all bad news for the defense, though. Chicago’s first-round draft pick this year, safety Dillon Thieneman, led the team in tackles with 10 and contributed nicely to stopping the run. Veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett looked as good as he’s ever been in a Bears uniform, and edge rusher Montez Sweat recorded his first sack of the year.
Until the secondary is fully healthy, though, I don’t see the defense equalling the offense in its impact on a weekly basis. And even when the unit is healthy, Chicago will go by way of its offense. This group is no 2018 Bears defense, and that’s alright.
We’ll surely know more about what the season holds for the Bears when they play their home opener this week against the Minnesota Vikings, who are coming off a ferocious defensive effort in their win over Green Bay.
