The Carolina Panthers entered the 2026 season with high expectations for their revamped defense and lingering questions about quarterback Bryce Young and the offense. Week 1 against the Chicago Bears flipped that script entirely.

Young and the Panthers offense scored 37 points, yet Carolina still lost because the defense surrendered 59 points and over 550 yards against Ben Johnson’s offense and quarterback Caleb Williams.

No team in the NFL should score 37 points and lose a game. A reality that makes the winners and losers from this one pretty clear.

Winner: Bryce Young kicks off a pivotal year on the right foot, despite the result

Outside of one interception just before halftime, Young put together an impressive performance in his first game under new play-caller Brad Idzik. The pick itself was an aggressive throw trying to target Tetairoa McMillan and get points before the break. Young threw slightly behind McMillan, and it was intercepted, but even his worst play of the day came with good intention.

Young finished with 361 yards and three touchdown passes. The passing offense looked noticeably more aggressive with Idzik calling plays instead of head coach Dave Canales. Idzik had said during the week he planned to push the ball downfield more, and the results showed. Young connected on completions of 51 yards to Jalen Coker, a 48-yard sideline strike to Jonathon Brooks, and multiple other 20-plus-yard completions.

The game turned into a shootout quick, and Young proved he could keep pace. He couldn’t quite deliver the win, but that falls on a defense that gave up nearly 60 points.

Loser: Ejiro Evero should be fired after this game

Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero is absolutely on the hot seat after this performance. No one will fire a coordinator after one game, but this was a fireable offense.

Evero went to general manager Dan Morgan this offseason and told him this scheme could work with the right players. Canales even stuck his neck out for Evero, vouching that the defense would improve with better talent. Morgan went out and signed and drafted the players Evero said he needed. The first result? Fifty-nine points and over 550 yards allowed.

The soft zone coverage got picked apart by Chicago’s offense. QB contain was non-existent. Caleb Williams is a magician, and everyone knew that going into this game, there’s going to be some plays where Williams puts on the Superman cape, but it happened far too often, and Carolina had no answer. The problems feel philosophical rather than talent-based. The Panthers have the players in the building now, and yet the unit is still failing. That’s on Evero.

Winners: Devin Lloyd and Jaelen Phillips don’t deserve blame for how the defense played

The two biggest defensive additions did hold up their end of the bargain. Linebacker Devin Lloyd led the team with 13 tackles and generated a couple of pressures. For a high-dollar player, that was exactly the type of performance you wanted to see.

Outside linebacker Jalen Phillips had a strong debut as well, recording a sack early in the game for his first as a Panther and getting after the quarterback off the edge. It sounds contradictory given the contain issues, but Phillips was doing his part. You could tell he was frustrated by the outcome because he was playing well individually.

Winner: Jalen Coker picks up right where he left off

Former Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen said earlier in the week that Coker was the best wide receiver on this team. That’s bold praise considering Coker shares a room with the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year in McMillan. But Coker certainly backed it up.

He finished Week 1 with eight receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns, making big plays when the offense needed them most. That marks two straight games with over 100 receiving yards for Coker, dating back to last season’s playoff loss.

McMillan still had a solid day with five catches for 75 yards, but Coker looked like the top weapon in this offense after this game.

The Panthers have plenty to build on offensively. Young, Coker, and the passing game answered every question asked of them. The defense, though, created an entirely new set of problems that Evero has to fix before this season spirals early.