Chicago Bears vs Carolina Panthers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 09/13/2026

Game Time: 1:00 pm ET, Sunday, September 13, 2026

Venue:  Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC

Where to Watch:  FOX

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Bears -2.5, Panthers +2.5; Over/Under:  47.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Bears -2.5, Panthers +2.5; Over/Under:  47.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Bears -2.5, Panthers +2.5; Over/Under:  47.5 points

Chicago Bears:  0-0 (NFC North)

Carolina Panthers:  0-0 (NFC South)

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Chicago Bears:  N/A

Carolina Panthers:  N/A

The Bears finished last season with an 11-6 record overall and they were 2-4 in their division games too. They had a 6-2 record in their home games and had a 5-4 record in their road games where they will be in this game. Last season, their offense was averaging 25.9 points per game and their defense was allowing an average of 24.4 points per game. Their offense was also averaging 369.5 yards per game and their defense was allowing an average of 361.8 yards per game. Caleb Williams led the team in passing yards with 3,942, D'Andre Swift led the team in rushing yards with 1,087, and Colston Loveland led the team in receiving yards with 713.

The Panthers finished last season with an 8-9 record overall and they were 3-3 in their division games too. They had a 5-3 record in their home games and had a 3-6 record in their road games where they will be in this game. Last season, their offense was averaging 18.3 points per game and their defense was allowing an average of 22.4 points per game. Their offense was also averaging 295.6 yards per game and their defense was allowing an average of 327.2 yards per game. Bryce Young led the team in passing yards with 3,011, Rico Dowdle led the team in rushing yards with 1,076, and Tetairoa McMillan led the team in receiving yards with 1,014.

The current betting odds have the Bears listed as a 2.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Bears had a great season going 11-6 in Ben Johnson's 1st year coaching the team and that record was enough to win the NFC North too. They have a lot of young talent on offense that is going to develop together with their young QB and they should continue to be a solid team this season. The defense was a big issue last season and is going to be an issue again this year, but they are catching a bit of a break in this season opener since they are playing a team who had one of the worst offenses in the NFL last season. Meanwhile, the Panthers had a much improved season after being terrible the last few years and they even won the NFC South, earning a trip to the playoffs, but they were still under .500 in the regular season with an 8-9 record. They also have a lot of young talent on offense and Bryce Young did take a step forward last year, but he really needs to take a bigger step this year after years of struggling. The defense wasn't terrible and has definitely improved some this season, but they still had a lot of trouble against better offenses. Their season ended with a 34-31 loss to the Rams in the playoffs and they put up a really good fight in that one, but the Bears should have one of the best offenses in the league this season and will cause a lot of trouble for this Panthers defense. Chicago has turned things around in 1 year of Ben Johnson a lot quicker than the Panthers have the last few seasons and the Bears definitely have a higher floor with their talent on offense. The best way to place a bet here is on the Bears to cover the spread in this game. 

Bears Panthers Prediction:  Our NFL Pick for Sunday, September 13, 2026 (1:00 pm ET start time) is Bears 31 Panthers 24.

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Chicago Bears: 4-8 ATS in a road game where the total is between 42.5 and 49 points. 4-13 1H ATS in road games. 5-11 1H ATS in games where the line is +3 to -3. 10-6 OVER in games where the line is +3 to -3.

Carolina Panthers: 10-5 ATS as a home underdog. 15-7 ATS in all games where the total is between 42.5 and 49 points. 11-4 OVER as a home underdog. 11-3 OVER in a home game where the total is between 42.5 and 49 points.

Chicago Bears:  None.

Carolina Panthers:  None.

"He looks 100% to me." - Ben Johnson on the injury to Luther Burden.

"He is right now. He's our guy, and I love the trajectory that he's on. And not just the stuff that he's growing in - from just an operational standpoint, moving the offense, finding chemistry, and all that - but it's also just the critical moments. It's those games, it's the close games, it's the one-score game at the end." - Dave Canales on Bryce Young coming into this new NFL season.

WR Odunze, Rome

WR Burden III, Luther

WR Raymond, Kalif

TE Loveland, Colston

QB Williams, Caleb

RB Swift, D'Andre

WR McMillan, Tetairoa

WR Legette, Xavier

WR Coker, Jalen

TE Tremble, Tommy

QB Young, Bryce

RB Hubbard, Chuba

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Coaches:

Chicago Bears: Ben Johnson (2nd season)

Carolina Panthers: Dave Canales (3rd season)