Our Bears vs Panthers prediction backs Chicago. The Bears begin their NFL season at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday, September 13. FOX has the 1:00 PM ET kickoff, one of eight games in that opening window. Squawka Signal’s current read, and where the value sits, appears in the block directly below. Similarly, Signal rates the full Week 1 slate.
Both teams won their division last season, which flatters one of them considerably. First, Chicago went 11-6 in the NFC North. Carolina took the NFC South at 8-9 with a points difference of minus 69. Notably, they were the only division winner in the league to finish negative.
The interesting thread is turnovers. Chicago’s defense intercepted 23 passes in 2025, the highest figure of any team playing this weekend. Bryce Young threw 12. Indeed, that is the game in one line, and it is why Signal sits ahead of the market here rather than behind it.
Bears vs Panthers: our editor’s props
Two editorial calls to sit alongside the live Signal numbers above.
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Our props
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Bears vs Panthers: 2025 season form
Chicago went 11-6 with a positive points difference; Carolina won a division at 8-9 with a negative one. Overall, that is the fairest summary of the gap.
| 2025 regular season | Bears | Panthers |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 11-6 | 8-9 |
| Points for | 441 | 311 |
| Points against | 415 | 380 |
| Point differential | +26 | -69 |
| Sacks recorded | 35 | 30 |
| Sacks allowed | 24 | 35 |
| Interceptions made | 23 | 15 |
| Third-down offense | 42.7% | 36.1% |
| Red-zone offense | 58.2% | 53.3% |
| Red zone allowed | 56.1% | 55.2% |
| Opponent passer rating | 91.4 | 88.2 |
The turnover rows carry it. Chicago intercepted 23 passes, more than any side playing this weekend. Carolina’s offense, by contrast, gave up 12 and converted only 36.1% of third downs. Carolina’s defense was not the problem, however: 35 sacks and 15 interceptions is respectable, and their trouble was scoring at all.
Bears vs Panthers injury report and team news
The official Week 1 game-status report is not out yet, because teams file their first designations in the days before kickoff. This section updates as soon as the Out, Doubtful and Questionable tags appear. For now, both sides expect their first-choice quarterbacks.
Caleb Williams starts for Chicago. Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III lead the receivers, meanwhile, with Cole Kmet alongside Colston Loveland at tight end. D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai again split the backfield.
Bryce Young starts for Carolina, and Tetairoa McMillan is the primary target after 1,014 receiving yards in 2025. Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker fill in behind him, meanwhile, with Chuba Hubbard and AJ Dillon leading a rebuilt run game.
The matchup that decides it: Chicago’s ball-hawking secondary against Bryce Young
Chicago intercepted 23 passes in 2025. Kevin Byard III took seven of them, Nahshon Wright five and Tremaine Edmunds four. That is the profile of a secondary that gambles and gets rewarded, rather than one lucky safety.
Carolina’s offense is the natural victim of that. Young threw 12 interceptions, the Panthers converted 36.1% of third downs, and they scored 311 points across the season. Consequently the drives tend to end early, and against Chicago some of them will end going the other way.
Carolina’s route back is the ground. Chicago’s own defense allowed 5.0 yards a carry in 2025, the softest run defense in this fixture. Hubbard is a capable enough back to exploit it. Still, that only works if the Panthers hold the ball long enough to try.
Players to watch
- Kevin Byard III (CHI, SAF): Seven interceptions in 2025, the most of any defender in the league.
- Caleb Williams (CHI, QB): 2,456 team rushing yards at 4.86 a carry gave him the most balanced offense in this game.
- Tetairoa McMillan (CAR, WR): 1,014 receiving yards last season and comfortably Carolina’s most reliable outlet.
- Bryce Young (CAR, QB): Twelve interceptions in 2025, walking into the league’s most opportunistic secondary.
- Chuba Hubbard (CAR, RB): Carolina’s lead back, facing a Chicago defense that conceded 5.0 yards a carry.
How to watch Bears vs Panthers
The game kicks off at 1:00 PM ET on Sunday, September 13 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. FOX has the broadcast, meanwhile, with NFL+ carrying it on mobile. Because this is an early Sunday window, coverage is regional, so check your local listings.
| Detail | Bears vs Panthers |
|---|---|
| Date | Sunday, September 13, 2026 |
| Kickoff | 1:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM CT / 11:00 AM MT / 10:00 AM PT |
| Venue | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC |
| TV | FOX |
| Live stream | FOX / NFL+ |
| Week | Week 1, 2026 NFL season |
Bears vs Panthers prediction and score projection
Our Bears vs Panthers prediction is a Chicago win, and this is one of the rare games where Signal is keener than the market. Twenty-three interceptions against a quarterback who threw 12 is a difficult combination for Carolina to survive.
The Panthers are not without a route, though. Chicago allowed 5.0 yards a carry last season, the weakest run defense in this fixture, and Carolina will want the game slow. Even so, 311 points across a season suggests they struggle to make possession count.
So we will take the Bears to win, 25-22. Indeed, 23 interceptions against a quarterback who threw 12 is the likeliest way this is decided. Which side carries the value, though, is a separate question from who wins, and the live read on that sits in the Signal block.
Signal rates every game on our NFL picks page. Meanwhile the title race is priced through Super Bowl LXI odds, with both conferences on the NFC and AFC Championship pages. Finally, player markets sit with our NFL player props coverage, and kickoff is confirmed on NFL.com.
Bears vs Panthers FAQ
The Bears. Chicago went 11-6 with a positive points difference, whereas Carolina took the NFC South at 8-9 with a difference of minus 69. The live win probability and the current market price both sit in the Signal block on this page.
Spreads move all week, so both the live line and our model’s projected line sit in the Signal block rather than in this answer. As a guide to why the Bears are favored: they intercepted 23 passes in 2025, more than any team playing this weekend, against a quarterback who threw 12.
FOX has the broadcast, meanwhile, with NFL+ carrying it on mobile. Kickoff is 1:00 PM ET on Sunday, September 13, 2026 from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Coverage is regional in the early window.
The Panthers took the NFC South at 8-9 with a points difference of minus 69, the only division winner in the league to finish negative. Their 311 points was the lowest total of any team playing this weekend.
Bears 25-22. Chicago’s secondary took the ball away 23 times in 2025. Meanwhile Carolina scored just 311 points, so overall we expect the Bears to win a game that stays within a score.
21+ | Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER | Signal probabilities and odds approximate at time of writing and subject to change