The Magnificent 7

Seven players who made the biggest impact in the Bears' 59-37 victory over the Panthers on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium:

1. Caleb Williams

By almost any measurement — starting with the eye test — Williams appeared to have taken the anticipated step up in Year 2 in Ben Johnson's offense — he was 21 of 29 (72.4%) for 269 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 124.1 passer rating. For those tracking Williams' completion percentage as a measuring stick of his growth, this was the first time he's completed 70% or more of his passes in Johnson's offense. Even his pocket presence and scrambling showed a greater command of the offense — mostly avoiding frantic situations that forced him to put on his cape to make a play. And in his 37th consecutive start with the Bears, Williams continues to lead the charmed life of an "it" factor NFL quarterback: He came away unscathed on an apparent designed run that exposed him to a big hit at the goal line with the Bears up 45-31 midway through the fourth quarter. And his lone interception on the following play was nullified by an offsides penalty.

2. D'Andre Swift

From his first carry on the Bears' first play from scrimmage — a 17-yard run that was nullified by a holding penalty on wide receiver Rome Odunze — Swift looked like he was determined to justify his freshly minted three-year contract extention, but really just did what he is expected to do in a Ben Johnson offense. Had 18 carries for 124 yards (6.9 avg.) and three touchdowns (1, 1 and 28 yards). His 32-yard gain to the Panthers' 13-yard line led to the Bears' first touchdown, to tie the game 7-7 in the first quarter. His longest run last season was 25 yards. And when the Bears were flirting with disaster in the third quarter — tied 31-31 with a shaky defense and an offense that had gotten away from the run, Swift had consecutive runs of six, four and one yard for a touchdown (after a fortuitous roughing-the-passer penalty turned a third-and-20 into a first-and 10 at the Panthers' 11-yard line) that gave the Bears a 38-31 lead they would not lose.

3. Kyle Monangai

A question mark for the opener a week ago after missing the last three weeks of the preseason with a knee injury, Monangai not only showed no signs of rust, but flourished like never before on a 61-yard touchdown run that gave the Bears 45-31 lead with 40 seconds left in the third quarter. The 2025 seventh-round draft pick finished with 10 carries for 100 yards (10.0 average). He also had two receptions for 24 yards, including a productive 19-yard gain on a checkdown in the second quarter that illustrated the improved efficiency of Williams and the offense as a whole.

4. Bryce Young

The 2023 No. 1 overall pick — who will always have a special niche in Bears history — was the second-best quarterback on the field, but continued his ascent as an impact quarterback after a shaky rookie season by going toe-to-toe with Williams for much of the game. Young completed 23-of-37 passes (62.2%) for 361 yards, three touchdowns and one interception for a 110.3 passer rating — a performance that will be good enough to win against other opponents.

5. Kalif Raymond

Raymond's familiarity with Johnson's offense was another offseason narrative that paid off in Week 1. The former Lion led the Bears with eight receptions for 84 yards. He did not score, but had four third-down receptions that kept drives alive — a 28-yard gain on third-and-11 that led to a touchdown that gave the Bears a 31-24 lead in the second quarter; third-and-five receptions for 12 and seven yards that led to Swift's one-yard touchdown that gave the Bears a 38-31 lead in the third quarter; and a nine-yard reception on third-and-6 that led to Williams' one-yard touchdown pass to Jahdae Walker that all but clinched it at 52-31 in the fourth quarter.

6. Jalen Coker

The Bears' defense is going to make a star out of a lot of offensive players this season, if Sunday's performance was any indication and the up-and-coming Coker — a 2024 undrafted free agent from Holy Cross — was the first beneficiary of 2026. He had eight receptions for a career-high 138 yards and two touchdowns (including an eight-yard touchdown in garbage time). His 51-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter momentarily was the key play of the game — a much-needed quick score in response to Cole Kmet's 22-yard touchdown that had given the Bears a 21-7 lead.

7. Malik Muhammad

If the fourth-round rookie's debut doesn't inspire Kyler Gordon to get healthy, maybe nothing will. Muhammad showed off his versatility at cornerback as he and first-round safety Dillon Thieneman played like veterans throughout the game. Muhammad had an interception in the final seconds of the first half and two pass break-ups — not including one of the key plays of the game, when he defended Tetairoa McMillan on a fourth-and-three incompletion from the Bears 39-yard line, with the Panthers threatening to tie the game at 38. (Monangai rushed for a 61-yard touchdown on the ensuing play to give the Bears a 45-31 lead.