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NFL winners & losers, Week 1: Bears are for real, Packers collapse

The Chicago Bears made an emphatic opening statement to kick off their 2026 campaign, putting together a record-setting 59-37 victory on the road against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Coming into the year following an NFC North title, head coach Ben Johnson previously declared his target for Chicago to become the most prolific point-producing unit in league history, noting that mere championship victories fall short of his ultimate ambitions.

His squad validated that bold vision right away by finding the end zone eight times during Sunday's wild, historic shootout.

The 59-point outburst established the matchup as the highest-scoring opening-week clash the league has ever seen, while creating a Scorigami outcome. Across the rest of the league's opening slate, the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Chargers faltered dramatically, whereas the New York Giants cooled off the Dallas Cowboys, and both the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets emerged as potential dark-horse contenders.