Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson said last month that winning the Super Bowl isn’t enough for him. He wants to have the highest-scoring offense in NFL history.

Caleb Williams threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 65 yards and two more scores as the Chicago Bears defeated the Carolina Panthers 59-37 on Sunday.

The Chicago Bears will play their first game of the 2026-2027 NFL season this Sunday against the Panthers in Charlotte. The game marks the beginning of head coach Ben Johnson’s sophomore campaign after he led the Bears to an 11-6 record last season.

Chicago Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren said that “at this time,” the team remains focused solely on potential sites in Hammond, Indiana as they continue working to finalize plans for a new stadium.

“(The Bears) haven’t said, ‘OK, we’re done. We don’t want to talk anymore, we don’t want to hear from you, we are moving to Indiana,’” state Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) said. “There’s at least one site we know they’re very interested in, in Illinois, and that’s Arlington Heights.”

The Chicago Bears will build their next stadium in Hammond, Indiana — maybe. The team made the announcement Friday after years of negotiations with Illinois state lawmakers over a deal to build a stadium in either Arlington Heights or on the Chicago lakefront.

In a statement from Bears Chairman George McCaskey posted Friday afternoon, the team confirmed they will be heading to Hammond, Indiana, with an exact site still to be determined.

On the standard cover, Williams is depicted in a body position similar to his pivotal, scrambling, fourth-and-8 jump pass to Rome Odunze in a stirring comeback victory over Green Bay in a wild card playoff game on Jan. 10.

Mayor Brandon Johnson took a victory lap Monday, hours after the General Assembly passed a $56 billion budget that authorizes the Chicago City Council to impose a tax on digital advertisements seen by Chicagoans.

Hours after Illinois lawmakers failed to approve a stadium incentives structure aimed at keeping the Chicago Bears in Illinois, Gov. JB Pritzker acknowledged that the “pride and joy of Illinois” may take a deal to build a football palace in Indiana.

Despite a Hail Mary heave from the Illinois Senate in the final hours of the spring legislative session, state lawmakers ultimately failed to reach the end zone on a bill incentivizing the Chicago Bears to build a new stadium in Illinois.

The so-called “megaproject” bill would mean tax breaks for the Chicago Bears of more than $1.5 billion during the 40-year term of the agreement, according to the analysis.

The Chicago Bears dropped their schedule reveal video featuring Rome Odunze showing off some artistic flair. WTTW News was there for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of the video.

“There is a mismatch here in terms of what the people of Chicago and Illinois are most concerned about and how government is responding and reacting,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

With seven total picks, including four in the top 89, a major roster shakeup, and quarterback Caleb Williams entering his third season, the front office is under pressure to deliver immediate impact talent.

After three years on the legislative backburner, the Illinois House approved a major economic development bill that would clear the path for the Chicago Bears to build a new domed stadium in Arlington Heights.