The Chicago Bears will travel to Charlotte, NC, to face the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at noon for their first game of the 2026 regular season. 

Bears head coach Ben Johnson returns to his hometown state, but he won't let that be an excuse to distract him from his preparation. Johnson told reporters on Friday that his wife, Jessica, can go ahead with whatever plans she has this weekend.

“Honestly, I feel a responsibility to those guys to the coaching staff and to those players," Johnson said. "I don't want to let them down, everybody's different. It just so happens for me to be to make sure I'm at my best. I don't like being distracted in any way, shape or form. It's usually pretty quiet that morning of, and then I'll get to the stadium early and I just lock myself in the head coach's office and grind through what I need to grind through just make sure I'm ready to go so that's really it for me.”

The offensive plays in the game plan are set before the Bears kickoff on Sunday, but Johnson highlighted that "the timing of those plays sometimes doesn't get determined until the morning of."

The Bears will have plenty to think about from now until gametime. 

Here is the matchup to watch, an underrated X-factor and my game prediction. 

The Panthers signed Jaelan Phillips to a four-year, $120 million contract this past offseason. The Bears made Darnell Wright the highest-paid right tackle in the NFL with his four-year, $116 million deal. 

That's the matchup to watch on Sunday. It's good on good, making that an important battle to monitor throughout the game. Phillips had 677 snaps at the left outside linebacker position last season and just 74 on the opposite side, meaning he primarily faced opposing right tackles. I'm sure Carolina will move Phillips to the opposite side to test Braxton Jones, but when he goes against Wright, the Bears' right tackle needs to neutralize him to ensure Caleb Williams has time to complete plays down field. 

We'll have to see what defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has planned for the nickel cornerback position, but there could be a mix of veteran Cam Lewis and rookie Malik Muhammad playing at the spot. 

Veteran safety Xavier Woods was listed as questionable with a groin injury. If he plays opposite of rookie safety Dillon Thieneman, I expect Lewis to start at nickel. 

Lewis has spent time playing at safety and nickel throughout camp, and he will be tested by the Panthers. In the Panthers' wild-card loss to the Rams last season, wide receiver Jalen Coker made some big-time plays from the slot. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Panthers test the Bears' secondary with those matchups on Sunday. 

If the Bears communicate cleanly and limit explosive plays from the nickel spot, they'll dramatically boost their chances of slowing down Carolina's offense. 

Bears 24, Panthers 20

The Bears are the favorite in this road matchup, and they should leave Bank of America Stadium with their first win of the season. I can see this matchup coming down to the final minutes of the fourth quarter. 

[READ: How the Bears can Stop Bryce Young's Mobility in Week 1 Matchup]

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has the most comeback drives since 2023. Caleb Williams led the NFL with his seven fourth-quarter comebacks (including the playoffs) last season. 

Both quarterbacks know how to operate in the closing moments of games, but Williams leads his team to a victory to secure the Bears' first win of the 2026 season.