Takeaways from the Chicago Bears' season opener against the Tennessee Titans
CHICAGO - It wasn't as disappointing as last season, but the Chicago Bears' 2024 season opener didn't live up to the hype.
The Bears struggled on offense – historically, not too shocking – and the other two phases picked up the slack with their own touchdowns – also not too shocking.
It led to a 24-17 win by the Chicago Bears in Caleb Williams' debut.
Here are our takeaways from the Chicago Bears' season opener against the Tennessee Titans.
The Chicago Bears were beat in the trenches
When it came to both sides of the ball, the Bears were never in full control of the game. That was because the Titans were beating the Bears up front consistently on both offense and defense.
The Bears' defensive line was cut up by the Titans run game in the first half. Tony Pollard scored the game's first touchdown by weaving through the line of scrimmage virtually untouched.
The Bears' offensive line started the third with two pre-snap flags and a sack that ended a drive.
Putting it numerically is easier to understand: at halftime, the Titans had 115 yards rushing and the Bears had 16 yards rushing.
Jeffrey Simmons, Harold Landry, Sebastian Joseph-Day and T'Vondre Sweat were winning up front. Credit the Bears' defensive line, they stepped up when it matters most. Darrell Taylor and DeMarcus Walker were stellar, too.
That's not going to work, no matter who you play in the NFL.
The Bears have something in Darrell Taylor
On a day where the Bears needed a few breaks, Taylor gave them some.
A strip sack in the fourth led to a field goal that cut the Titans' lead to one. He also had seven total tackles and two quarterback hits.
All of that for a sixth-round selection? General manager Ryan Poles looks like a genius after that move which literally kept the Bears in the game today.
Special teams taketh away, but giveth
The Bears had the most up and down day you could ask for on special teams.
There were two holding penalties the Bears committed as the kicking team, giving the Titans 10 free yards on two separate occasions.
Velus Jones Jr. also muffed a punt and kicked it forward before the Titans recovered it. That led to a Tennessee field goal.
Still, the special teams gods gave the Bears a chance.
DeAndre Carter's 66-yard kick-off return at the end of the first half put the Bears in a position to get on the board with a field goal.
Daniel Hardy then blocked a Titans punt and Jonathan Owens returned it for an 18-yard score in the third quarter. That gave the Bears life.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 08: Tony Pollard #20 of the Tennessee Titans carries the ball in the first quarter of the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on September 08, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Williams is going to take some time
Caleb Williams' career debut was never going to be perfect. As confident as he was on the likes of Hard Knocks and at the podium, Williams' first game as a Bear
Against Tennessee, he left plenty to be desired.
He was off with his accuracy and he wasn't able to create the off-balance "wow" plays we've come to see with his legs. Some of that was the offensive line struggling, but some of it was also Williams just missing receivers.
Williams missed Keenan Allen twice in the first half. Both would have gone for touchdowns.
The first was a deep route on the sidelines where Williams overthrew Allen. The second was on Allen, and that was part of a looming issue.
Williams didn't turn the ball over. That was a bright spot. But the inaccuracy was a struggle the Bears took four quarters to try and overcome.
The veterans the Bears looked to needed to give more
During the week, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus stressed that Williams would not be given explicit expectations. Instead, he expected the veterans to rally around the rookie quarterback in his first-career start and lift him up with consistent play.
The second touchdown Allen missed was an out route that Allen dropped, which would have gone for a score.
The Bears' offensive line also struggled with consistency. It's hard to give the quarterback time when the protection isn't there to rely on.
Williams made some plays, but he would've had more if the veterans the Bears put together on the roster came through.