The Chicago Bears put on a show in their Week 1 win over the Carolina Panthers. Chicago dropped 59 points in their 2026 season debut while producing 552 total yards of offense. Safe to say, it was a successful outing in Charlotte.
Meanwhile, the rest of the NFC North division saw more turbulence in their season openers.
The Minnesota Vikings knocked off the Green Bay Packers, but lost their starting quarterback to a concussion in the process. The Packers’ offense was out of sync without running back Josh Jacobs. The Lions barely held on to an overtime victory against the New Orleans Saints; however, their offense also didn’t look as smooth as it has in the past.
Now obviously, it’s the first week of the season. The offseason kinks still need to be worked out, and teams aren’t close to how they will be midseason. However, Chicago clearly looked ahead of the curve compared to the rest of their division, and you can argue that it came against the hardest opponent.
During Sunday Night Football, Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth threw a question of assessment down to their new NBC analyst, former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, who raved about Williams and the Bears.
“He just looked like a player that was in total command of what he was doing,” Tomlin stated.
“We’re very familiar with Caleb’s talent. His arm talent, his ability to extend plays and run. But there was a comfortability there that was really impressive. And I’m not surprised.”
Mike Tomlin Believes The Rest Of The NFC North On Notice Should Fear The Bears
Tomlin does know better than most what Williams is capable of. He watched as Williams let loose for three touchdowns against his Steelers just last season. The Steelers lost, 28-31, in their Week 11 matchup during the first season of the Ben Johnson era.
Now in the second season of Johnson’s tenure, Tomlin believes that Williams will put the rest of the North on even further notice.
“He’s in year two of the system. It bodes well for 2026 and the Bears. Chicago fans should be excited. The rest of the NFC North should be very frightened.”
The first divisional opponent to test the Bears’ might will be the Vikings in Week 2. It remains to be seen whether it will be Kyler Murray or Carson Wentz under center; regardless, they will likely have to contend with the Bears’ offensive onslaught.
Caleb Williams Shouts Out Chicago’s Defense After Week 1 Win
While Chicago’s offense tends to steal the headlines, the defense also deserves some credit. With 478 yards of total offense and 37 points against the Panthers, it’s understandable why they got overlooked in their win. However, Caleb Williams quickly praised Chicago’s defense in a postgame interview on Fox Sports with Kristian Pink.
“Kudos to our defense,” Williams iterated right off the bat of his interview.
“I think they [the Panthers] came out with 24 in the first half, and then they put up a touchdown at the end, but you know…they did a great job kind of shutting them down at the end. You know, without them, we wouldn’t be able to have this many points.”
Chicago will need their defense to hold up a larger portion of their weight in future contests, although it is still important to acknowledge their significance in the team’s first win.
Mike Tomlin Sends Strong Message About Bears QB Caleb Williams