The early Sunday slate featured the highest-scoring Week 1 game in NFL history, an overtime thriller and plenty of other wild moments, showing the wildness of the NFL is fully back. That means that overreactions are back, too. It's only been one week of action, so it's all we have to react to.
But it can also be fool's gold. Remember the Raiders beating the Patriots in Week 1 last year? We'll be back for more as the late-afternoon games and "Sunday Night Football" finalize, but through one window, here's what we've seen.
Yes, that's 96 points combined in the Bears' 59-37 win over the Panthers, the most ever in a Week 1 game and scorigami. Chicago's 59 points were tied for second-most in an opener by any NFL team and the Bears' most since 1980. Caleb Williams threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 65 yards and two scores.
D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai combined for 224 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. It was absolutely ridiculous in the best way. Now for the other side ... the Bears allowed Bryce Young to throw for 361 yards.
There were tackling issues all over the place, and the coverage left much to be desired -- to be nice. When Ben Johnson said he wanted to have the highest-scoring team in NFL history, he wasn't joking. The Bears' defense simply doesn't have enough talent across the board, especially with the injuries to Coby Bryant and Kyler Gordon.
Cam Lewis, who never started more than six games for a Bills defense that has long needed secondary help, played all 62 snaps for Chicago. Fourth-round rookie corner Malik Muhammad played 49. The Bears had just a 21% pressure rate.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
