Final Word: How the difference between the 2023 & 2024 Chicago Bears was on display Week 1
CHICAGO - In the years to come, the history books will be kind to those who look back on the Chicago Bears team that played on Sept. 8, 2024.
This team should not have won a football game.
These Bears watched their vaunted defense get dinged for 17 first-half points, watched their No. 1 overall pick miss throws he made look routine in college and were abysmal on special teams.
"All these small moments that happened throughout the game that felt like I was in the right place, the right time," Caleb Williams said. "I was seeing it well, just missed and misfired."
In the Super Bowl era, there have been 1,228 teams that trailed by 17 points or more and failed to score an offensive touchdown. Those teams combined to compile a 3-1,225 record.
The Bears earned that third win on Sunday.
Winning this game was a matter of patience, production, resilience and some luck. Without the first three traits, though, the last one does not happen.
Furthermore, last year's Bears wouldn't win a game like this.
"I know in the NFL that every week's different," Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said. "There will be times where the games ebb and flow, they really do. You've just got to be good as a team. It's never about just one side or one person. It's about us being able to figure it out during the game and figure out our winning formula for that particular day, and that could change."
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 08: Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears celebrates after the game against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field on September 08, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears defeated the Titans 24-17. (Photo by Quinn Harris/
On Sunday, that winning formula wasn't anything on the field. It came at halftime behind closed doors.
There weren't any meltdowns in the locker room trailing 17-3, even though there could have been. That's a testament to the coaching staff and the veteran players.
"Guys didn't panic, I think that was the main thing," Bears safety Kevin Byard said. "Just echoing, man, there's a lot of ball left to play.
"Adversity hit us in the first half, man, but culture is about what you do when you respond."
The Bears responded with a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, the first for the team since 2012, and two-straight drives where the defense forced a turnover. The second one was Tyrique Stevenson's go-ahead pick-six.
In the algebra of that equation, it all equals to Williams being the first No. 1 overall pick at quarterback to win his first career game since 2002.
"I think he's the first guy to win since like 2002, 0-14-1, I believe," Eberflus said. "That's because the team around him played better in the second half."
The team around Williams is better, to be sure. So is the coaching staff with a year of experience under their belts.
Last season, a Bears team harboring excitement was ruthlessly slapped by Green Bay. That led to a dreadful skid the Bears never climbed out from and led to the roster overhaul we saw during the offseason.
That's the aspect patience that was on display. The Bears were patient with Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles. The latter formed a team that didn't crack under pressure, and the former figured out how to re-invent himself and win close games.
The production came from a team Poles pieced together that produced on the field at a high level. Poles made moves to acquire the likes of Darrell Taylor, Jonathan Owens and Stevenson via trade, free agency and the draft, respectively, and each made game-changing plays.
CHICAGO, IL - SEPTEMBER 08: Tyrique Stevenson (29) of the Chicago Bears celebrates after returning a fumble recovery for a touchdown during the game between the Tennessee Titans and the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on September 8, 2024 in Chicago,
The resilience came in enduring a 17-0 deficit in the second quarter. The Bears never tried to do too much or took unnecessary risks.
That leads to the luck of it all, which Will Levis trying to toss a pass out of bounds against a Bears defense running zero pressure against the Titans in a passing situation. Stevenson swiped that pass and took it to the house.
A team without composure doesn't do that.
"We just kept our composure," Bears left tackle Braxton Jones said. "This is a different team this year. We're going to go through some adversity. There's going to be times where we got to lean on the defense and special teams a little bit. Shout out to both those guys doing a great job and us pulling through."
Pulling through against the team that was ranked No. 25 in last week's edition of the NFL power rankings on NFL.com as the No. 16 ranked team isn't the part that'll move the needle.
The Bears, after all the energy around the team this offseason, still understand it's hard to win games in the NFL and have been itching to prove they're more than just hype.
Taking the first step in proving that was winning Sunday. The Bears did that. Next is proving it on the national stage next Sunday against the Texans.
Then, plenty will see the 2023 Bears have been excorsized and replaced with the 2024 version.
"We're going to get better in the future," Williams said. "In the near future."