Bears Defense Leads the Way in Win Over Titans
The highly anticipated debut of Caleb Williams ended in a Chicago Bears win, but it did not go the way most people might have expected. The Bears defeated the Tennessee Titans 24-17 on Sunday at Soldier Field in a fantastic defensive effort. The Bears intercepted Titans quarterback Will Levis two times, including one for a touchdown, sacked him three times, and blocked a punt on special teams for a touchdown. Here is a full recap of the season opener from Soldier Field.
The game started slowly with three and outs from both teams before the Titans struck first with a 26-yard touchdown run from Tony Pollard in his Titans debut to put Tennessee up 7-0. On the ensuing kickoff after the touchdown, Bears return man Velus Jones Jr. fumbled the kick, and the Titans recovered it deep in Chicago territory. Chicago was able to hold the Titans to a field goal from Nick Folk, which made it 10-0 Tennessee. The Titans continued to roll on both defense and offense as they got a quick stop and then drove down the field for another touchdown. This time, it was Will Levis connecting with Chig Okonkwo for a 17-yard touchdown. The Bears added a field goal right before halftime to cut the lead to 17-3 at the break.
The Bears got the opening kick of the second half, but they continued to be stifled by the Titans' defense. Then, the momentum began to turn. The Bears blocked a Ryan Stonehouse punt deep in Tennessee territory, and it was picked up by Johnathan Owens, who returned it for a touchdown. The teams traded punts for the remainder of the third quarter, and the Bears added a field goal at the start of the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 17-13. On the next Titans’ possession, Darrell Taylor stripped the ball from Will Levis, and TJ Edwards recovered it at the Titans’ 30-yard line. The Bears would turn that good field position into another field goal, making it a 17-16 game. On the next possession, the Bears' defense struck again as Tyrique Stevenson picked off Levis and took it back for a touchdown. Then, Williams found D’Andre Swift out of the backfield to convert the two-point conversion. Levis and the Titans tried desperately to tie the game back up, but Jaylon Johnson intercepted Levis with just over one minute to go to solidify the win for Chicago.
This was definitely not the start to the Caleb Williams era that the Chicago Bears were looking for. Williams ended with just 93 yards passing on 48% completion. However, there are going to be growing pains with every rookie quarterback, and Williams is no different. Also, it is hard not to have a positive outlook, considering the tremendous play of the defense on all levels. They got pressure on the quarterback, played well against the run, and took the ball away. The Bears will take their 1-0 record into Houston for a primetime matchup against the Texans next Sunday.
