What to watch for in Bears-Panthers when each team has the ball

WHEN THE BEARS HAVE THE BALL

The offseason has been a frenzy of hype about quarterback Caleb Williams, but coach Ben Johnson starts with the rushing attack and the multiplicity of his tight ends. This will be a big game for running back D’Andre Swift and the tight end trio of Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet and Sam Roush.

Swift could be the Bears’ top weapon. He’s coming off one of his strongest seasons, and he can do more. His head-on running style combined with speed and elusiveness makes him reliable for a few yards at a time and always a threat to take off for an explosive play.

It’ll be interesting to see how Johnson uses him in the passing game as well. Swift was sixth on the team with 48 targets last season, but when he and Johnson were together with the Lions, Swift got 78 targets in 2021 and 70 the next season.

Swift is only enhanced by three-tight-end sets, which Johnson will use often because of the confusion they create in defenses. If the Panthers treat those three like wide receivers and try to cover them with defensive backs, the Bears can steamroll a path for Swift out of the backfield.

Johnson was fifth in the NFL in using “13 personnel,” meaning three tight ends, one wide receiver and one running back, and he’s near the forefront of a growing trend. It’s a reasonable estimate that he’ll use it three times as much this season after the Bears invested in Loveland, Kmet and Roush.

WHEN THE PANTHERS HAVE THE BALL

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is going into his fourth season and has not proved himself. There was improvement last season, but he still finished with the sixth-lowest passer rating (87.8) among players who threw at least 250 passes.

But here’s what he potentially has going for him against the Bears: Their secondary is patchwork and their defensive line has yet to show it can consistently disrupt quarterbacks.

Young’s top wide receiver is Tetairoa McMillan, the No. 8 overall pick last season who won offensive rookie of the year with 70 catches for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns.

The Bears could simply stick cornerback Jaylon Johnson on him for the day, but at some point the Panthers could get matchups between him and Bears rookie Malik Muhammad. Muhammad, a fourth-round pick, played mostly outside corner in college, but moved to nickel in place of Kyler Gordon.

The Panthers were 27th in the NFL in total offense (295.6 yards per game) and scoring (18.3 points) last season. They went 0-5 against top-10 defenses and managed an abysmal 11.2 points per game.

But like most quarterbacks, Young showed he’s capable when he gets time in the pocket. In a win over the Rams, for example, he got pressured just twice on 22 drop-backs and was efficient with 15-for-20 passing, 206 yards, three touchdown passes and a 147.1 passer rating. The Bears were 22nd in pressure percentage and sacks last season.