The Carolina Panthers have officially played a Week 1 game the likes of which the NFL has never seen before.
They and the Chicago Bears have combined for more points than any season-opening game in the history of the league.
That became official when they reached the 89-point mark, which happened when Bryce Young threw an eight-yard touchdown to Jalen Coker with four minutes left in the game.
The one problem? That only pulled the Panthers within 52-37.
And then the Bears needed just 20 seconds to score again and widen it to 59-37.
The Panthers’ offense was great.
The Bears’ offense was supersonic.
Week 1 Points Record
The Panthers probably won’t be putting up a bunch of banners to celebrate this record.
History! The 89 combined points between Panthers and Bears is the most-ever in a Week 1 NFL game. 🤯🤯 https://t.co/OkAzj2do0d
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) September 13, 2026
It’s the kind of mark that had the potential to mean big things for Carolina, but if you had told someone about this beforehand, it would’ve also come with fear.
The Bears, with QB Caleb Williams and head coach Ben Johnson, have one of the most dangerous offenses in football. It wasn’t necessarily a surprise that they had a day like this.
Williams threw two touchdowns and ran for two more.
Kyle Monangai ran for a 61-yard TD.
Both Mongangai and D’Andre Swift topped the 100-yard rushing mark.
Amazingly, their leading receiver was Kalif Raymond, which no one expected.
And as much as the Panthers wanted to keep up, they couldn’t quite do it.
Positives for Panthers
So the Carolina defense will just want to bury its head in the sand and not think about this at all.
The offense does have plenty of positive to take away from this, though.
The Young to Coker connection was definitely the high point. In addition to the aforementioned short touchdown, they had also connected earlier on a 51-yard TD when Young hit Coker down the left sideline for the score.
The Panthers also had to like how Chuba Hubbard played. Despite being in an apparent competition with Jonathon Brooks, it was Hubbard who both caught a touchdown and ran for a touchdown.
After a quiet start, Tetairoa McMillan also got going, too, a good sign going forward that both Coker and Tet played well.
There’s going to be loads of work for Carolina’s defense to do, and if they don’t figure that out, it won’t matter.
But this was just about as encouraging a start as the Panthers’ offense could’ve asked for, aside from one Young interception.
This season is crucial for Young’s contract future, and he delivered a big statement on Sunday.
Panthers Set All-Time NFL Record in Week 1