UPDATE: The Panthers-Bears game has started. To view the latest scoring updates, visit our Panthers Live Scoreboard page.
For the first time in a long time, the Carolina Panthers enter a season with something more than hope that things might eventually get better.
Carolina opens the 2026 season Sunday against the Chicago Bears after winning the NFC South and returning to the playoffs last season. The Panthers finished just 8-9, so there is plenty left to prove, but the steady climb under Dave Canales — from five wins in 2024 to eight and a division title in 2025 — provides at least some reason for cautious optimism entering Year 3.
Now comes the harder part: proving last season wasn’t simply a nice step forward. Bryce Young is coming off the best season of his career, Carolina believes it has improved the roster around him and Sunday’s opener at Bank of America Stadium offers the first real look at whether the Panthers are ready to take another step.
UPDATED: This story now includes the list of game-day inactives for both the Panthers and Bears.
🏈 Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers
Sunday, Sept. 13
Kickoff: 1:00 p.m. ET
Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
TV: FOX
Announcers: Adam Amin, Drew Brees, Kristina Pink
Local radio: WRFX 99.7 FM
Panthers radio crew: Anish Shroff, Luke Kuechly, Jake Delhomme, Kristen Balboni
National radio: ESPN Radio
2025 Records: Chicago 11-6 | Carolina 8-9
Weather Forecast: Hot and muggy conditions expected with temperatures in the upper 80s to near 90°F in the early afternoon.
🔄 Last Updated: September 13, 2026 1:28 pm
What are the latest lines on Bears at Panthers?
Spread: Chicago Bears -3
Over-under: 47.5 points
Money line: Chicago -166 | Carolina + 140
Lines from Draft Kings on Sept. 13, 2026 at 11:30 a.m.. All lines are subject to change
Panthers-Bears Week 1 Game-Day Inactives
Panthers Inactives
- TE Ja’Tavion Sanders
- WR John Metchie III
- QB Haynes King (emergency third quarterback)
- S Zakee Wheatley
- OT Albert Reese
- OLB Patrick Jones II
- DT Cam Jackson
Bears Inactives
- DT Jayden Loving
- QB Miller Moss
- QB Tyson Bagent (emergency third quarterback)
- S Xavier Woods
- DE James Kromah
- OT Ozzy Trapilo
- OL Jordan McFadden
The Panthers will have veteran tight end Darren Waller available for his Carolina debut, while Ja’Tavion Sanders and wide receiver John Metchie III are among the team’s seven inactive players. Carolina kept four tight ends active — Waller, Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans and Feleipe Franks. Patrick Jones II, who had already been ruled out Friday with a back injury, is also inactive.
Carolina also elevated outside linebacker Jeremiah Moon and safety/special teamer Isaiah Simmons from the practice squad for Sunday’s game. Both were standard elevations and will revert to the practice squad following the game.
For Chicago, safety Xavier Woods and offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo are inactive after both entered Sunday listed as questionable. Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent, who was also questionable, is designated as the Bears’ emergency third quarterback.
What uniforms are the Panthers wearing against the Bears?
The Panthers will break out their black helmets with blue jerseys and black pants for Sunday’s season opener against Chicago.
It’s a combination that worked particularly well the last time Carolina wore it for a home opener. The Panthers used the blue-and-black look in last season’s 30-0 win over Atlanta at Bank of America Stadium, a game that included a Bryce Young rushing touchdown and a Chau Smith-Wade pick-six. Carolina is 3-2 all-time in the black-helmet, blue-jersey combination.
🔎 What to Know: Bears at Panthers
- No. 1 vs. No. 1: Sunday’s quarterback matchup features former Heisman Trophy winners and No. 1 overall picks Bryce Young and Caleb Williams. There’s another connection: the two quarterbacks are forever linked by the blockbuster trade between Carolina and Chicago that ultimately helped the Bears acquire the pick used to select Williams.
- Division champs meet: This isn’t the opening matchup many would have predicted a year ago. Both teams won their divisions in 2025, with Chicago going 11-6 to win the NFC North and Carolina capturing the NFC South despite an 8-9 record.
- Opening-day struggles: Carolina is just 11-20 all-time in season openers and has lost four straight. The Panthers’ last Week 1 victory came in 2021, when they beat the New York Jets 19-14 at Bank of America Stadium.
- A new weapon for Young: Veteran tight end Darren Waller is one of Carolina’s notable additions, although the Panthers have taken a measured approach to getting him fully integrated into the offense.
- Breaking out the black helmets: Carolina will wear black helmets with blue jerseys and black pants. The Panthers are 3-2 all-time in the combination, including last season’s 30-0 home-opening win over Atlanta.
