Chicago Bears Draw Panthers in 2026 Opener and It Might Be Ideal for Fast Start

Many expected the Chicago Bears to hit the road for Seattle for the 2026 season opener. Others thought divisional matchups against either the Vikings or Lions made a lot of sense. I don't think too many had a road trip to Carolina on their bingo cards. NFL insider Jordan Schultz says that will be the case for Chicago, though.

We've been tracking all the early 2026 schedule leaks, and the action ramped up Wednesday, ahead of Thursday night's full schedule release.

The matchup might not be as exciting as some of the other potential options. In fact, it's downright underwhelming from a pure entertainment perspective. The Panthers made the playoffs last season, but they did so by winning eight games in the league's worst division (by a wide margin).

With that said, there are significant reasons for optimism when it comes to their Week One matchup against the Panthers.

The Panthers are not a tough draw

Carolina finished the 2025 season with an 8-9 record. That playoff appearance came with a major asterisk. They're far from world beaters.

Judging an opponent based on their previous year's performance can be a dangerous game, and the Panthers did have a really solid draft. However, they didn't make much noise in free agency (their only two noteworthy additions came via them majorly overpaying for Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd). They didn't lose anyone significant, either, but that doesn't mean much when they only won eight games last season.

I do think their draft will be a net positive for their future, but it's hard to envision a better time to catch them than in their first career game. Monroe Freeling, Lee Hunter, and Chris Brazzell II could pay huge dividends down the stretch, but it's safe to assume there will be growing pains in the season opener.

Bryce Young historically struggles (mightily) early

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is the main reason that I'm not moved by a clash in Carolina. They're only going to go as far as the former first-overall pick will take them, and he hasn't shown nearly enough consistency to get them over the finish line over his first three seasons.

Young has consistently played some of the best football of his career late in the year, but has fallen flat early. He has thrown six interceptions with only two touchdowns in his three openers. Young tossed two picks in each of those contests and also has an abysmal 49.5 completion percentage, to boot. He never eclipsed 161 passing yards in those games.

Young wasn't exactly going up against great defenses in those games, either. The Jaguars gave up the 12th most passing yards in the league last season. The Saints finished with the league's third-worst defense the year prior. Each of those games was on the road, but is that enough of an excuse to justify Young's abysmal outings? I don't think so.

History is also on the Bears' side in the matchup

In Young's defense, their early-season struggles aren't squarely on his shoulders. Since 2018, their only Week One victory came in a 2021 clunker against the eventual 4-13 Jets. They've gone 1-6 in that span.

The Bears have also had the Panthers number in recent years. They've faced off eight times since 2010, and Chicago has come out on top in seven of those matchups. They historically have played each other close, but the Bears are also two years removed from a resounding 36-10 victory.

That game was with a full-blown football terrorist in Matt Eberflus at the helm, too. Just imagine what the Bears can do with a football mastermind in Ben Johnson calling the shots. It might not be a knock-down, drag-out affair like a matchup against the defending Super Bowl champs would've been, but it should give them a much better chance to start the year on the right foot.

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