The Bears' 59-37 victory over the Carolina Panthers kept Chicago's offseason hype going and was a great first Sunday for bettors. The Bears were one of the most popular teams to win and cover the spread (-3). Draft Kings classified the Bears as the second-most-backed team by bets and handle, while Bet MGM said Chicago minus-3 was the most-bet spread of the early slate.

The game flew over its total of 47.5 with 2:35 left in the second quarter. The final score's 96 total points were the most for a Week 1 game in NFL history. Six teams scored 24 or more points in the first half, also the most in Week 1. Players like Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Derrick Henry, Jonathan Taylor and Josh Allen found the end zone multiple times.

"The first NFL Sunday of the season was a champagne-popping day for bettors," Caesars Sportsbook football lead Joey Feazel told ESPN. "Seven of the eight morning favorites won outright, six games flew over the total, and eight of the top 10 most popular touchdown scorers found the end zone."

Chicago's win built on offseason futures market goodwill. Draft Kings reported 7.5% of its Super Bowl handle backing Chicago, while Bet MGM said the Bears had the most NFC championship tickets at 14.4%. At Draft Kings, Chicago moved from 24-1 to 21-1 to win the title, but the big move came for Caleb Williams in the MVP market, from 12-1 to +700.