Insights from the Chicago Bears’ season opener against the Tennessee Titans

CHICAGO – It wasn’t as disappointing as last season, but the Chicago Bears’ opening game of the 2024 season didn’t live up to expectations.

The Bears struggled on offense—which isn’t all that surprising historically—and the other two phases made up for it with touchdowns of their own—which isn’t all that surprising either.

It resulted in a 24-17 victory for 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 defeated in the trenches

On either side of the ball, the Bears never had full control of the game. That was because the Titans consistently outscored the Bears on both offense and defense.

The Bears’ defensive line was torn apart by the Titans’ running game in the first half, with Tony Pollard scoring the game’s first touchdown by weaving his way through the line of scrimmage virtually unchallenged.

The Bears offensive line began the third period with two flags before the snap and a sack to end a drive.

It’s easier to understand in numbers: At halftime, the Titans had 115 rushing yards and the Bears had 16 rushing yards.

Jeffrey Simmons, Harold Landry, Sebastian Joseph-Day and T’Vondre Sweat were successful up front. Credit must be given to the Bears’ defensive line, which excelled in the decisive moments. Darrell Taylor and DeMarcus Walker were also outstanding.

That won’t work no matter who you play in the NFL.

The Bears have something in Darrell Taylor

On a day when the Bears needed some breaks, Taylor gave them some.

A strip sack in the fourth inning led to a field goal that cut the Titans’ lead to one point. He also had seven total tackles and two quarterback hits.

And all this for a sixth-round pick? General manager Ryan Poles looks like a genius after making this move that literally kept the Bears in the game today.

Special teams take away, but give

The Bears had the most up-and-down day you could wish for on a special teams team.

The Bears committed two holding penalties as a kicking team, giving the Titans 10 free yards twice.

Velus Jones Jr. also botched a punt and kicked the ball forward before the Titans recovered it, leading to a field goal for Tennessee.

Still, the special teams gods gave the Bears a chance.

DeAndre Carter’s 66-yard kickoff return at the end of the first half put the Bears in position to score on a field goal.

Daniel Hardy then blocked a Titans punt and Jonathan Owens scored an 18-yard touchdown in the third quarter, giving the Bears new life.

Williams will need some time

Caleb Williams’ career debut was never perfect. As confident as he was at Hard Knocks and on the podium, Williams’ first game as a Bear

Against Tennessee, he left a lot to be desired.

His accuracy was off, and he wasn’t able to make the off-kilter “wow” plays we’ve come to expect from his legs. This was partly due to the troubled offensive line, but partly because Williams just wasn’t hitting the receivers.

Williams missed Keenan Allen twice in the first half. Both times it would have resulted in touchdowns.

The first was a deep route down the sideline where Williams threw to Allen. The second was to Allen, and that was part of a looming problem.

Williams didn’t lose the ball. That was a bright spot. But the inaccuracy was a problem that the Bears were only able to overcome after four quarters.

The veterans the Bears were looking for had to give more

During the week, Bears coach Matt Eberflus emphasized that there would be no explicit expectations for Williams. Instead, he expected the veterans to support the rookie quarterback in his first career start and support him with consistent performance.

The second touchdown that Allen missed was an out route that Allen dropped, which would have resulted in a point.

The Bears’ offensive line has also struggled with consistency. It’s difficult to give the quarterback time when he can’t rely on protection.

Williams made some plays, but he would have made even more if the veterans the Bears had assembled on their roster had held out.