The Bears are projected to win their opening game against the Carolina Panthers. That gives Ben Johnson a chance to start his season with a victory. Chicago will be looking to take advantage of a Panthers team dealing with absences on the offensive line, too.
Carolina will be without both of its starting tackles to begin the season. Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton are both expected to miss the opener, leaving the Panthers without two important pieces up front. That's a tough way to begin the year.
Sports news: Bengals May Have Found a Playmaker in Jack Endries For Chicago, it's a chance to put pressure on a Panthers offense that won't have its usual protection on the edges. Missing both starting tackles can make life difficult for any NFL team, and the Bears could look to exploit that weakness from the opening whistle. Johnson enters the season with lots of hunger, and he's not looking at the schedule as a list of games he'd like to win.
He wants to win all of them. The Bears' head coach is out to win every game this season, and that mindset makes the opener against Carolina extra important. A victory would give Chicago an immediate boost and allow Johnson to begin the season with the kind of result he so wants.
CBS Sports' John Breech projects the Bears to win their first game, which frankly isn't an out-there idea. The Panthers are facing a difficult task without Ekwonu and Moton, and Breech points to the absence of both starting tackles as a major reason why Carolina could struggle. More sports: Ravens’ Matthew Hibner Could Be a Rookie to Watch For Chicago, it's a chance that should be difficult to ignore.
The Bears won't want to leave any opening-game advantage on the table, especially with Johnson eager to establish his team as a serious competitor. If Chicago can take advantage of Carolina's issues up front, the Bears could put themselves in a strong position early.
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