Chicago Bears vs Carolina Panthers Prediction 9/13/2026 Today’s NFL Picks

The Chicago Bears and the Carolina Panthers meet Sunday in NFL action from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Here’s a Bears vs Panthers prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Bears vs Panthers pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.

Chicago Bears Betting Preview

The Bears opened up their preseason this year with a matchup versus the Cleveland Browns. Chicago looked pretty good in that one, rolling to a 34-10 win. In game two versus the Cincinnati Bengals however, the Bears took a 27-9 defeat and allowed points in every quarter. The offense came up with 322 yards during the loss, but could only convert two of their 14 third-down tries. The 11 penalties for 81 yards didn’t help matters either.

On August 29 versus the Tennessee Titans in preseason game three, the Bears put up points in each of the first three quarters in a 24-15 victory. QB Tyson Bagent had 208 yards and two scores on a nice 16-of-17 passing. Zavion Thomas bagged five catches for 140 yards and a touchdown to lead the receivers.

Carolina Panthers Betting Preview

Over on the Panthers’ side, they got four preseason games this year. First was the Hall of Fame matchup, a 33-30 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. In game two Carolina took a 29-14 loss versus the Bills but got their mojo back against the Jaguars in a 34-17 victory the next week. In that game Carolina collected 385 yards (238 passing) and 23 first downs alongside a nice 6.1 yards per play. The defense bagged a couple of takeaways but did allow 6.2 yards per play themselves.

Matched up against the Houston Texans in their final preseason game, the Panthers held a slim three-point edge heading into the fourth quarter and maintained it for a 16-13 victory. Kyle Trask was 19-of-28 for 147 yards and a pick while Anthony Tyus had 10 carries for 41 yards. Leading receiver Ja’seem Reed caught two balls for 37 yards in the victory.

Chicago Bears @ Carolina Panthers Betting Trends: Week 1

Why the Carolina Panthers will win

• The Panthers have won each of their last three games as underdogs without Chuba Hubbard.
• The Bears have lost eight of their last nine road games in September.
• The Panthers have covered the spread in each of their last five home games without Jalen Coker.
• The Bears have failed to cover the spread in each of their last four road openers against NFC opponents.
• The Panthers have won the first half in each of their last three September games against NFC North opponents.
• The Bears have lost the first quarter in each of their last two games as road favorites.

Why the Chicago Bears will win

• The Bears have won each of their last six games as slight favorites (<-3.5 points).
• The Panthers have lost each of their last four season openers.
• The Panthers have failed to cover the spread in each of their last five Week 1 games as underdogs.
• The Bears have covered the spread in four of their last five games against NFC South opponents.
• The Panthers have lost the first quarter in each of their last four games against NFC opponents.
• The Panthers have lost the first half in four of their last five home openers as underdogs.

Total Points Facts

• Each of the Panthers’ last six games as underdogs without Chuba Hubbard have gone OVER the total points line.
• Five of the Bears’ last six road openers against NFC opponents have gone OVER the total points line.

Carolina Panthers Player Prop Facts

• Tetairoa McMillan has scored at least one touchdown in three of the Panthers’ last four Sunday games as underdogs.
• Bryce Young has recorded 21+ completions in three of the Panthers’ last four games as underdogs.
• AJ Dillon has recorded 26+ rushing and receiving yards in 19 of his last 20 appearances with his team as an underdog.
• John Metchie has recorded 19+ receiving yards in each of his last seven appearances with his team as an underdog on the East Coast.
• AJ Dillon has recorded 18+ rushing yards in 19 of his last 20 appearances with his team as an underdog.
• Devin Lloyd recorded the equal-most interceptions in a single game last season (2 vs 49ers, Week 4).

Chicago Bears Player Prop Facts

• Caleb Williams has recorded 23+ completions in three of the Bears’ last four games against NFC opponents.
• Caleb Williams has recorded 250+ passing yards in four of the Bears’ last five games against NFC opponents.
• Cole Kmet has recorded 22+ receiving yards in each of the Bears’ last six September road games.
• D’Andre Swift has scored a touchdown in five of his last six appearances on the East Coast.
• D’Andre Swift has recorded 58+ rushing yards in five of the Bears’ last six games as favorites against NFC opponents.
• D’Andre Swift has recorded 71+ rushing and receiving yards in each of his last six road appearances.
• Caleb Williams ranked T2nd in the league for batted pass attempts (18) last season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Panthers were the only team to overturn multiple 14+ point 2nd quarter deficits to win last season.
• The Panthers recorded the equal-most home wins by a margin of five points or less last season (4).
• Bears – two different players recorded 100+ rushing yards in a game last season – equal-most in the NFL.
• The Bears ranked 1st in the NFL in interceptions (23) last season.

Bears vs Panthers Prediction

I’ll lean toward the Bears. Chicago finished off their preseason with a solid win over Tennessee—despite hitting 10 penalties for 71 yards. The Bears would bag 398 yards on offense (291 passing) with 19 first downs and 4-of-5 on fourth downs, but also went just 6-of-15 on third-down attempts. Still, the win should carry some momentum into this (manageable) road opener.

As for Carolina, they were able to fend off Houston in their preseason finale but there’s plenty of work left to do. The Panthers did well on defense with just 172 yards, 3.0 yards per play, 13 fist downs and 2-of-12 on third downs allowed alongside their four takeaways. The 12 team penalties for 103 total yards didn’t help matters, though. Carolina has a tougher schedule in 2026 than they did a season ago, so it’s going to be an uphill climb this year. Seven or eight wins is probably where they’re going to land, and this isn’t an easy matchup to start with.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Chicago Bears -2.5