Ben Johnson returned to his native North Carolina and chose violence to open the NFL season. The Bears and Panthers combined for the highest-scoring opener in league history with a 59-37 win over Chicago, which actually felt like a loss. He was Scorigami But more importantly, it represents a promise on behalf of the Bears’ coach to deliver the most explosive offense the NFL has ever seen, and while it may only be Week 1, he’s delivered on that promise.
Johnson made his intentions clear Speaking to the Athletic in August.
I want to have the top scoring offense of the 2013 Denver Broncos. I know how many points they scored per game (37.9) and I want to beat them. I want closure. I want a blast.
The game against Carolina wasn’t always a lock, as it was a veritable shootout for much of the afternoon until the Bears pulled away — but that didn’t stop Johnson from expressing his thoughts. Chicago demolished Carolina’s woeful defense, not only using its talent to its full potential, but also showing why it is the king of the NFL’s offensive scheme. It was an exceptionally easy afternoon for Caleb Williams and company, using a high amount of misdirection and pre-hit fumbles to open up wide windows for the Bears QB to throw to or crash into open running lanes that resulted in a mammoth 291 yards on the ground.
Obviously, the Bears can’t feast on the ground every week like they did against Carolina, but the foundation of this offense is universal. Chicago has the talent to run the ball effectively up the middle, which opens up pre-pinch movement in offensive schemes to keep defenses guessing and the receiver’s talent to execute on vision. If the team was just that, you’d have an offense similar to what Johnson used in Detroit against the Lions, but Caleb Williams gives him the x-factor of a QB who can escape pressure, make plays with his feet and extend plays when things aren’t working.
This was the biggest revelation from the first season of the Johnson/Williams alliance. Early in the season, the two seemed to struggle to reconcile their contrasting styles, with Caleb going off script a lot and Johnson frustrated that the young QB wasn’t living up to his vision. As the season wore on, however, we saw their styles melt away, and we saw this work in concert at the end of the 2025 season. The question was whether defenses could watch the film and find holes in the game, and judging from Carolina, the answer is no.
It’s another soft entry for the Bears heading into Week 2 with a matchup against the Vikings, who can assert themselves in the NFC North. Then all eyes will be watching Monday night football When the Bears meet the Eagles in Week 3. If this team can appear on offense That’s what he said. game, then the buzz behind the Bears will be entirely appropriate and white-hot.
As impressive as Chicago’s offense was on Sunday, some major questions remain. This team was porous on defense, allowing Bryce Young to finish with 361 yards passing and four total touchdowns, none of which came in garbage time until the 4th quarter when Chicago pulled away. While the Bears deserved a surprising offensive day, they still allowed 478 yards of offense on their own — which will be very problematic if they can’t seal it against the likes of Philadelphia in Week 3 or the Packers in Week 5.
For now, Bears fans should be buzzing. This team found the preseason excitement it lacked in Week 1 a year ago. If we see another level of growth from this team in 2026, then watch out – because something very special could happen in Chicago.
Here are the NFL winners and losers from Week 1
Winner: New York Giants
The Giants had talent on the roster to be sure, but what have we seen Sunday night football It was the difference a good coach made to a football team. The hiring of John Harbaugh was as much about appointing an adult to this team as anything else — taking all this untapped, often unfocused energy and channeling it toward a singular goal.
The Giants beat their division rival and embarrassed Dallas in what could be a crucial NFC East division matchup, all stacked against the Cowboys. Winning in eight may not seem like a loss, but these are games Dallas believes should be easily won. They ended up losing offensively, which is what they think they have the edge on – and they were completely outmatched by Jackson Darts in the passing game.
A good season is built on a statement, and the Giants made that statement in Week 1.
There is no excuse for what happened to the Packers in the fourth quarter against the Vikings. Green Bay has quickly become the least-clutch team in the NFL, as capable of prying defeat from the jaws of victory as anyone.
In a span of 2:39, the Packers allowed three touchdowns, thanks to a series of mammoth defensive mistakes and offensive scripts. There’s no sugarcoating what the Packers did, because that was a damn joke. Jordan Love and his offense are the masters of fair-weather football, routinely failing to assert themselves when the game matters.
More than any other quarterback in the NFC, Love slows down when the pressure is on. Not only do they make bad decisions on the football, but mechanics tend to fly out the window when the game needs to be stepped up. Call me a Jordan love-hate all you want, but that game was proof positive of what ruined his career and why I’ll always struggle to consider him a top-tier QB.
The Bills were under a lot of pressure to make personnel changes in Week 1 of the 2026 season, and most importantly, a change in head coach wasn’t a mistake. Undoubtedly the toughest challenge a contender has faced in Week 1, the Bills march into Houston to show the Texans are not afraid of their stout defense.
Josh Allen will always be good, that’s a given — but the addition of DJ Moore really opens up this offense in a way we haven’t seen in years. He’s a young, shifty version of Stefon Diggs who fills the same role that Diggs should, but more effectively. One of the reasons I like the Moore trade to Buffalo is because he’s been familiar with Joe Brady since his time in Carolina and the two are picking up where they left off.
It’s only natural to fall victim to courtesy bias after a week of football, but this was a signature win at home against a tough opponent. These are the accounts that we have considered.
Loser: Chargers, who opened the season with a Chargers-ing.
One of these days we’ll reward ourselves with believing the Chargers will come out on top, but today won’t be that day. No one could handle a more embarrassing Week 1 loss than Jim Harbaugh, who entered the week as one of the teams people thought could make some noise in the AFC this year, but his voice was actually dampened when they lost to the Cardinals — quite convincingly, mind you.
The offense under Mike McDaniel wasn’t as special as we hoped it would be – and the defense was an absolute mess. Jacoby Brissett completed over 72 percent of his passes and Arizona had nearly 400 yards of total offense, which was embarrassing.
I still think the Cardinals will be a bad team when the dust settles, and this win could put them in the race for the top QB in 2027.
Winner: Brian-Freaking-Flores
Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is a defensive wizard, and we can get into the political reasons why he’s not the head coach right now — but instead, let’s appreciate what he’s been able to do with a good defensive unit, not what you might call transcendent on paper.
What Ben Johnson does for offense, Flores does for defense. He is a facilitator who takes the talent around him and makes them excel, becoming more than the sum of their parts. The pressure this team brought to Jordan Love in the fourth quarter was otherworldly, and as soon as he unleashed the Packers’ offense, they completely fell apart.
If Flores can get this team going from the first whistle, the Vikings will have one of the scariest defenses in the NFL this season.
Loser: Video review from New York
At what point can we accept that this throwing process to reverse calls to New York is broken? This marred several plays in Week 1, however, when Jared Goff was clearly beaten early on against the Saints and Lions, but was overturned.
It has a hand position all the time It is the deciding factor whether a pass is forward or backward. The section of the manual in question is literally titled “Forward Hand Movement”, however The official’s assertion is that Goff initiated the “dumping motion.” It didn’t matter how the quarterback’s hand moved. This broad reading of the law may be considered correct, but it is impossible to know the intention of the passerby at that moment. There is a possibility that Goff may have a pump-fake; He could have run and run – but essentially the Lions were given the benefit of the doubt on the play, taking away a touchdown from the Saints.
Detroit won 31-30 in overtime. This game changing system is a joke.
Sorry dude, but you sent this to me so I have to shout. My man hit a 25-foot parlay 24 feet, but lost because Ja’Marr Chase didn’t complete a 40-yard reception, giving the Bengals a win over the Buccaneers. Just a heartbreaking way to lose in Week 1.
What a strange, wonderful week in the NFL. Who are your personal winners and losers from the week?