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The Chicago Bears opened the 2026 NFL season with a 59-37 win over the Carolina Panthers, the fourth-most points scored by the franchise in a single game and part of a combined 96 points, the most ever in a season-opening game. Head coach Ben Johnson doubled down on the offensive approach that fueled the explosion, signaling it wasn't a one-off performance. The result immediately drew attention across the league as one of the most striking outcomes of Week 1, with Johnson's aggressive offensive philosophy under the spotlight entering the rest of the season.