On Sunday, Chicago Bears unleashed a ferocious offensive performance in their season-opening game against the Carolina Panthers, defeating the home team 59-37. And that included 552 yards of total offense, thanks to 261 passing yards and 291 rushing yards. Quarterback Caleb Williams got off to a strong start in his third season, completing 21 of 29 passes for 269 yards and throwing two touchdowns.
Williams also scored two rushing touchdowns to help with the scoring, in a game where he had 10 carries for 65 yards. Teammates Kyle Monangai and D'Andre Swift combined for another 224 yards and four touchdowns. All of the above were a major part of why the Bears were able to surge past the Panthers in Week 1, and those players actually achieved something that hadn't been done in over 100 years.
More news: Malik Nabers Makes Surprising Admission on Playing for Giants in Week 1 With six rushing touchdowns on Sunday, the Bears were the first team to have that many in a season-opening game since the 1922 Canton Bulldogs, according to ESPN Insights. In that 1922 game, the Bulldogs defeated the Louisville Brecks as fewer than 3,000 fans watched. It was also the third season of the rebranded football league known today as the NFL.
Fast forward to yesterday's Bears game, and Swift and Monangai also became the first teammates since 1980 to each record 100 rushing yards in an opener. Detroit Lions teammates Dexter Bussey and Billy Sims accomplished the feat in an opener 46 years ago. It's worth noting that while those are very impressive numbers for the Bears' offense, the passing defense could be a major weakness this season.
The Panthers finished with 478 total yards of offense, including Bryce Young throwing for 361 yards and three touchdowns. Still, all those rushing touchdowns and points, including a 61-yard TD from Monangai, were a thrilling sight for Bears fans to begin the season. Ahead of this campaign, head coach Ben Johnson boldly said he wanted his team to be the "highest-scoring offense ever" in a season.
After that huge season-opening win over the Panthers, Johnson's preseason quote resurfaced. "I want to have the highest-scoring offense ever, which happens to be the 2013 Denver Broncos. I know how many points per game they scored, and I want to surpass them.
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