7 winners and 5 losers from Bears' high-flying win over Panthers

That enough offense for ya, Chicago?

What a way to start the season. The Chicago Bears' offense went for a startling 59 points in their win over the Carolina Panthers, winning by a score of 59-37.

It was far from a perfect performance from Chicago's end, as evidenced by the 37 points given up. But, Ben Johnson's goal of becoming the highest-scoring offense of all-time looks real nice after just one week.

In this high-scoring affair, there were several winners we could have picked out, along with some losers. But, let's focus on a few in particular.

The Bears had plenty of winners in their Week 1 win over the Panthers

Winner: D’Andre Swift , RB

Fresh off a 3-year extension with the Bears, Swift picked up right where he left off last season. He looked shifty, explosive and finished runs the way he did in 2025.

Even without Eric Bieniemy in Chicago, the type of running we saw out of Swift was reminiscent of what Bieniemy was able to get out of him last season. It's safe to say, Bieniemy's coaching stuck.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Bears continued to pound the rock and Swift showed absolutely no signs of slowing down as he scampered his way to a 29-yard touchdown run.

Swift ended the day with 18 carries for 124 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. He also added a reception for 10 yards.

Winner: Kyle Monangai, RB

After starting the game with mostly Swift, it was Monangai's turn to join the party. An impressive 61-yard touchdown run made everybody very aware that he was just fine after an injury leading up to the season.

Later, Monangai also had a great cut and run on 3rd and 4 in the fourth quarter. The run resulted in a first-down conversion.

Monangai finished with 10 carries for 100 yards and a score while adding two receptions for 24 yards.

Winner: Dillon Thieneman, S

The rookie had Adam Amin and Drew Brees talking early. The commentator pairing sang Thieneman's praises quickly into this one. Thieneman showcased his speed in a real way and was near the end of many plays during his first NFL game.

Thieneman had a particularly-impressive stretch of back-to-back plays where he fought through a block and made the tackle. One of these plays happened to come on special teams, too.

Late in the game, Thieneman combined with Jaylon Johnson to help force a Tetairoa McMillan fumble in the fourth quarter. His helmet helped jar the ball loose, resulting in the Bears' second takeaway of the game.

On the next drive for Carolina, Thieneman also had a nice pressure on Bryce Young.

It was a strong first game for Thieneman, who looked like anything but a rookie.

Winner: Malik Muhammad, CB

When Xavier Woods was announced inactive, the rookie officially had to man the slot as Cam Lewis stepped in to start at safety. Muhammad had a handful of eye-popping plays where he appeared to be perfectly in line with his receiver, proving his coverage skills.

He also came up with his first career interception in his ifrst career game as a pro -- what a moment that was at the end of the first half, putting an end to any hope Carolina had of scoring before the clock struck zeroes.

Muhammad also played a little outside corner during the time period when Tyrique Stevenson was out due to injury, showcasing his versatility. While playing outside, Muhammad didn't hear his name called -- a good thing.

Winner: Caleb Williams, QB

There's far too much to say about Caleb Williams and not enough time. It was just one game, but we saw exactly what Bears fans were hoping to see after this past offseason.

All of the talk about Williams being more comfortable in this offense, slimming down and being even quicker, and being in command of absolutely everything when he's on the field?

Yeah, we saw that -- and then some.

He made a handful of plays that only he could make, both with his legs and arm. He was absolutely brilliant in almost every single aspect of the game, short of maybe two or three plays.

His final box score doesn't matter all that much, as he threw for 269 yards and two scores while also adding 65 yards and two scores on the ground.

Here's the stat most are going to care about above all, though: Williams completed 72 percent of his passes.

Winners: Jonah Jackson and Darnell Wright, OL

The Bears' offensive line was strong, overall, but there was an extra level of physicality on the right side. Jonah Jackson and Darnell Wright were busy physically man-handling the Panthers' defensive line all game long. They were massive parts of the Bears rushing for 291 yards.

Despite a win, the Bears did have 5 notable losers

Loser: Dayo Odeyingbo, DE

From the jump, Dayo Odeyingbo had Bears fans scratching their heads. In the first half, alone, he ended up being called for two crucial penalties. He was borderline-invisible for most of the game, outside of looking semi-decent on the interior when he was lined up there.

In a season he desperately needs to shine, two big-time penalties (illegal use of hands and roughing the passer) aren't going to bode well for fans' perspectives on him.

Loser: Jaylon Johnson, CB

The Bears' cornerbacks looked awful all game long; outside, at least. Jaylon Johnson was the center of much praise as training camp came to a close, but he did not look right. He looked far from the guy we were used to seeing prior to the 2025 injuries.

His first half was atrocious. The second half wasn't much better, although he did help Thieneman force that fumble on McMillan.

If Johnson doesn't return to the guy he once was, the Bears officially have a problem in this cornerback room.

Loser: Tyrique Stevenson, CB

Similar to Johnson, Stevenson had an absolutely abymsal first half -- and the second half was just as bad.

Whether you're talking early first quarter when he gave up a touchdown or late in the fourth quarter when Stevenson showed embarrassing tackling effort and allowed another touchdown, he had about as poor of a start to this contract year as he could've hoped.

Loser: Grady Jarrett, DT

There really isn't much to say, here. When a cornerback's name isn't mentioned throughout, that's a good thing. When you're a defensive tackle, it's the exact opposite.

Jarrett was nowhere to be found in this one and his contract continues to look like a terrible decision by Ryan Poles.

Speaking of which...

Loser: Ryan Poles, GM

I only have one question: is this actually the defense you're rolling out when your offense looks like that of a Super Bowl contender?

The Ryan Poles supporters will likely be real quiet after watching what the defense did in this one.

Read more: Ex-Bears OC Declan Doyle's Week 1 laser show is Ben Johnson's brilliance at work

Maybe next year, Poles can actually put forth an effort in fixing this defensive line.

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