Bears' offense makes statement with 'amazing' 59-point opener - ESPN

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ben Johnson didn't just set a lofty goal for his Chicago Bears' offense this offseason. He set a historic one, saying he believes it can be the highest-scoring unit in NFL history.

On Sunday, the Bears got off to a good start in fulfilling those expectations.

The Bears walked away from their opener with a historic 59-37 win over the Carolina Panthers, one that saw them score the fourth-most points in a game in franchise history (Chicago began its 107th season Sunday) and saw the teams combine for 96 points, most ever in a season opener.

Following the win, Johnson doubled down on his aspirations for the offense.

«That will always be the goal,» he said. «We want to be the highest scoring, we want to have the most wins, we want to win Super Bowls. That's what we do. We didn't get into this profession trying to be mediocre or average.»

The Bears started the year with 552 yards of offense, their third most in a game in the Super Bowl era (since 1966), and five different players scored touchdowns. But they also believe Sunday's result could have been even more lopsided had it not been for a sluggish start that saw them fumble on their opening drive and get flagged four times in the first five minutes.

«It's amazing,» running back D'Andre Swift said. «To be able to come out of a game like that and have so much to clean up, it's all right. We'll take the win. Fifty-nine points is amazing. It should have been worse.»

After spending big in the offseason to shore up their defense with edge rusher Jaelan Phillips (four years, $120 million) and linebacker Devin Lloyd (three years, $42 million), the Panthers were left with plenty of questions on that side of the ball after the opener.

Coach Dave Canales said he