The Chicago Bears open the season at Carolina in the Sunday early window. Kickoff is 1 p.m. ET at Bank of America Stadium on FOX, and Chicago is a 2.5 point road favorite with the total at 47.5.
What time is Bears vs Panthers, and what channel?
Sunday, September 13 at 1 p.m. ET on FOX. Sunday afternoon games are carried regionally, so whether it appears on your local FOX affiliate depends on your market. Out of market viewers need NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV.
The matchup
Carolina won the NFC South last season, which makes the Bears being favored on the road the notable part of this line. The market has Chicago as the better team by roughly a field goal despite the venue, and the win probability model agrees at just under 60 percent.
The 47.5 total sits in the upper half of the Week 1 board.
Prediction and odds
Bears -2.5. A road favorite of less than a field goal in Week 1 is close to a pick, and Carolina at home in September is not an easy first assignment. The lean is Chicago because the number is short enough that you are effectively getting the better team for free.
Our pick: Bears 26, Panthers 23.
The bottom line
A road favorite, a division champion at home, and a total that expects points. One of the more genuinely uncertain games in the early window.