Chicago rolls into Bank of America Stadium off an NFC North title, while Carolina's trying to prove last year's late fade wasn't the real story.
Bush’s PicksPicks madeJul 7, 1:04 PM CT
-145CHICAR+129
-110CHI -2.5CAR +2.5-102
-109Over 45.5Under 45.5-107
Best BetBears -145
Chicago's the significantly better price relative to true win odds here, and the market agrees â the Bears are solid road favorites off a division-title season. Carolina's O-line questions, especially Ekwonu's recovery, make backing the home side outright a tougher sell. Lay the price and take the Bears.
Bears
+11-6 record, NFC North title, playoff win over Packers
+Caleb Williams set franchise passing record (3,942 yards)
+Year 2 continuity with coach Ben Johnson's system
−Lost 3 of last 5 to close 2025 season
−Kyler Gordon, Odeyingbo enter camp as injury questions
Panthers
+Tetairoa McMillan broke out for Offensive Rookie of the Year
+Stable interior with Hunt, Lewis, Moton up front
+Chuba Hubbard positioned to lead a productive backfield
−8-9 finish, lost 4 of last 5 games
−Ikem Ekwonu still recovering from torn patellar tendon
−Bryce Young working with new center, unresolved extension
This Week 2 trip to Carolina caps a quiet but pointed offseason for both franchises. Caleb Williams enters Year 2 under Ben Johnson with a division title, a playoff win over Green Bay, and a franchise passing record (3,942 yards) already on his resume, and by all accounts the Bears' offense looked further along in spring practices than it did at this point last summer. Bryce Young, meanwhile, is working behind a new center and a coaching staff shakeup of his own, with Dave Canales handing play-calling duties to OC Brad Idzik after Carolina finished 8-9.
Chicago's 2025 wasn't perfectly smooth â it dropped 3 of its final 5 games, including a home playoff loss to the Rams, 17-20. Still, an 11-6 season with a division crown says more than any late-season stumble, and the continuity with Johnson's system is the real story heading into this one. Carolina's finish was rougher: 4 losses in its last 5, capped by back-to-back defeats to close the year. The one bright spot late was a win over Tampa Bay, proof the roster can still scrap.
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CHI Bears
CAR Panthers
The injury boards tell two different stories. Chicago's is mostly clean â Kyler Gordon and Dayo Odeyingbo carry questionable tags into camp, but the offensive skill group (Odunze, Loveland, Burden) reads as full health. Carolina's is more concerning up front: left tackle Ikem Ekwonu is still working back from a torn patellar tendon suffered in last year's playoffs, and interior lineman Tershawn Wharton is out indefinitely after neck surgery. That's a lot to ask of a line trying to protect Young behind a new pivot.
Chicago Bears
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Carolina Panthers
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Chicago Bears
Carolina Panthers
Recent form.
Tetairoa McMillan gives Carolina a legitimate building block after a near-1,100-yard rookie year that won him Offensive Rookie of the Year, but defenses have a full season of tape on him now and the element of surprise is gone. Chicago counters with more proven pieces across the board, and if Williams' growth under Johnson is real â not just an offseason talking point â this is the kind of road game a rising team is supposed to handle.
