About this episode

The episode previews the Carolina Panthers' season opener against the Chicago Bears, discussing key storylines, injuries, and predictions.

The Carolina Panthers open the 2026 season with one of the most storyline-rich games on the schedule: a home date with the Chicago Bears that doubles as a reunion of the 2023 blockbuster trade that sent Bryce Young to Carolina and set up Caleb Williams to land in Chicago a year later. Three seasons later, both quarterbacks finally share a field as starters — and both have something to prove. In this preview, we go deep on everything you need heading into Sunday's opener at Bank of America Stadium. We break down the biggest storylines, including Brad Idzik taking over play-calling duties from Dave Canales, Ben Johnson's Bears arriving as a trendy Super Bowl contender off an 11-6 season, and whether Chicago's league-best turnover margin from a year ago is due for regression. We cover both teams' offseasons in full — additions, departures, and the complete 2026 draft classes for Carolina and Chicago — plus a full look back at where each team finished in 2025. We've also got the full injury and IR report for both rosters, current depth charts as they stand today, a full team-rankings comparison pulling real 2025 season data across offense, defense, special teams, turnovers and…

People in this episode

Host: Carolina Dad

Topics covered

• Carolina Panthers
• Chicago Bears
• NFL Preview
• Injury Report
• Depth Charts
• Predictions

Keywords

• Panthers
• Bears
• NFL
• Injury Report
• Depth Charts
• Predictions
• Bryce Young
• Caleb Williams

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers

More episodes of Two Growls One Roar: A Carolina Panthers Podcast

• "I'm a Believer" — Tepper, Canales, Bryce Young Preview Panthers-Bears Opener · September 10, 2026 · 13 min
• The Panthers Are Hiding Something Before Week 1 vs. Chicago · September 8, 2026 · 20 min
• Behind Enemy Lines: What the Bears Really Think of the Panthers · September 8, 2026 · 22 min
• Is Tetairoa McMillan Already a Top 5 NFL WR? The Unfiltered Truth · September 4, 2026 · 13 min
• Dave Canales Give Update On Jonathan Brooks + TMac Wins Another Award & Latest Panthers Depth Chart · September 3, 2026 · 24 min
• 5 Tight Ends, 3 QBs, 2 Tackles on IR: What the Panthers Told Us Today (Morgan, Canales, Okereke, Tremble) · September 2, 2026 · 23 min

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