PFF grades reveal the Bears defenders who shined and struggled badly in Week 1

Carolina piled up 478 total yards, with Bryce Young throwing for 361 yards and three touchdowns. Still, Chicago's defense made enough timely plays — including rookie Malik Muhammad II's interception just before halftime and a critical fourth-down stop in the third quarter — to help the Bears pull away.

So which Bears defenders actually played well?

Using Pro Football Focus' Week 1 grades, and setting a 20-snap minimum to eliminate performances too small to provide a meaningful sample, there were a few clear winners and several concerning performances.

Cam Lewis leads Bears defense

Cam Lewis earned Chicago's best qualifying defensive grade at 72.0 while playing 65 snaps.

Lewis was particularly strong against the run, earning an 82.9 run-defense grade, and PFF credited him with seven tackles and zero missed tackles. Not bad.

Muhammad was another encouraging performer.

The rookie cornerback earned a 65.0 overall grade across 52 snaps, but the number that really stands out was his 69.4 coverage grade. It was the best on the Bears' defense. Muhammad also delivered one of the game's biggest defensive plays, intercepting Young with five seconds remaining in the first half to preserve Chicago's 31-24 lead.

Grady Jarrett earned a 65.0 grade over 44 snaps. He generated four pressures. Again, not bad.

Rookie safety Dillon Thieneman wasn't far behind with a 60.2 grade while playing all 68 defensive snaps. His Week 1 performance was encouraging for the first-rounder. It feels like the Bears landed a cornerstone piece of their defense in the 2026 NFL Draft.

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Bears have some ugly grades at the bottom

The bottom of the qualifying list of PFF grades is pretty brutal.

T.J. Edwards received Chicago's lowest PFF grade at 32.2 across 68 snaps. His 22.3 run-defense grade is straight-up embarrassing.

Tyrique Stevenson wasn't much better. Stevenson earned a 36.0 overall grade across 54 snaps, including a 34.7 coverage grade. He was picked on all day by Young and the Panthers' passing game. PFF's charting had him allowing four receptions for 77 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions, resulting in a perfect 158.3 opposing passer rating when targeted. That's a rough opening afternoon for a cornerback who entered the season hoping to play his way into a lucrative new contract.

James Lynch (36.6), Jordan van den Berg (39.3) and Neville Gallimore (40.0) also finished near the bottom among Bears defenders who played at least 20 snaps.

Van den Berg is especially disappointing after a preseason that crowned him as one of the biggest steals of the 2026 draft.

Jaylon Johnson's 44.8 grade is another score that jumps out. The Bears need Johnson to return to his elite form if this defense is to have any chance of supporting an offense that is ready to make a deep playoff run.

Bears defense has plenty to clean up

The PFF grades reinforce what was obvious on Sunday: Chicago's defense wasn't close to good enough despite the 22-point victory.

The Bears surrendered 37 points and 478 yards, and Carolina remained tied with Chicago at 31 midway through the third quarter before the Bears' offense finally took control.

Lewis, Muhammad, and Thieneman provided encouraging performances in a secondary already dealing with injuries, while Jarrett looked closer to his performance level with the Falcons than he did in his first year with the Bears in 2025.

But Edwards, Stevenson, and several defensive linemen landing near the bottom of PFF's grades underscore how much work remains.

The good news is the Bears are 1-0. The offense already looks terrifying. But Allen and the defense has a lot to fix before Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings.