Bears Outlast Panthers in Record-Setting 96-Point Season Opener as Fox’s NFL Coverage Capitalizes

The first Sunday of the 2026 NFL season delivered a scoring spectacle rarely seen in league history, with the Chicago Bears defeating the Carolina Panthers 59-37 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The 96 combined points marked the highest total ever recorded in a Week 1 game, giving broadcasters like Fox Corporation a marquee moment for its NFL coverage package.

Chicago head coach Ben Johnson made an emphatic opening statement. The Bears piled up 45 points by the end of the third quarter alone, with the team’s ground game doing the heaviest lifting. Running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai needed only 28 carries to amass 224 rushing yards and four touchdowns, overwhelming a Carolina defense that had no answers on the ground.

The quarterback matchup lived up to its billing as a duel between two former No. 1 overall picks. Caleb Williams totaled 334 passing yards and four touchdowns for Chicago, while Bryce Young turned in one of the most productive outings of his career with 361 passing yards — his second-highest career total — and three touchdowns of his own.

The offensive fireworks were immediate. The game’s betting over had already been settled before the two-minute warning of the first half, according to multiple observers on social media, underscoring how quickly both offenses found their rhythm.

Media implications

For Fox, which recaps the game through its NFL studio coverage, the opener provides an attention-grabbing storyline as the season begins. Shares of Fox Corporation (FOXA) traded at $65.94 on the day, up 1.17% from the previous close of $65.18, giving the company a market capitalization of roughly $26.85 billion. The company operates through its Cable Network Programming and Television segments, producing and licensing news and sports content for traditional distribution.

Social media reaction was swift, with analysts and former players weighing in on the historic scoring pace. Fox’s own NFL account noted the game as the highest-scoring Week 1 contest ever, while former quarterback Kurt Benkert highlighted the connection between Johnson’s stated preseason ambition of fielding the highest-scoring offense in NFL history and the Bears’ 45-point output through three quarters. Others were quick to point out that the same defensive unit allowing 37 points may face its own scrutiny as the season unfolds.

What to watch

• Whether Chicago’s offense sustains its opening-day pace in Week 2, and how Johnson’s scheme fares against better defensive fronts.
• Carolina’s response, with questions likely to focus on defensive personnel after allowing 224 rushing yards.
• Fox’s upcoming quarterly earnings report and any commentary on NFL viewership trends for the new season.

Source: original release