There’s one way to help rookie quarterback Caleb Williams in future games, according to former Chicago Bears Coach Dave Wannstedt, who reviewed the team’s Week 1 win. There’s also one group of Bears players who Wannstedt says gets his “game ball” for turning the tide toward the W.
It's just one win - but the Chicago Bears are officially tied for first place in the NFC with the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions following a come-from-behind, 24-17 victory at home against the Tennessee Titans.
Sunday's win also meant that Bears' rookie Caleb Williams became the first quarterback drafted first overall to win his initial start since 2002.
Williams’ highly anticipated official NFL debut wasn’t the most awe-inspiring performance. He struggled early, with the Bears failing to run the football against Tennessee's front. Ultimately, Williams finished the day 14-for-29 for 92 yards and a rating of 55.5. The Bears only rushed for 86 yards, most of which came on their final drive.
MORE: Bears studs and duds in thrilling win over Titans to start the season
But Chicago's defense was a different story, thanks to a blocked punt by safety Jonathan Owens, and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson's pick-six.
Players on offense were universally thankful that the D picked them up, but they’re not about to kick their feet up knowing they’ll have their back each week.
“That's definitely not our mindset,” said Bears' wide receiver Rome Odunze. “We want to be the ones going out there making plays and having this team lean on us.”
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The way Odunze sees it, if the offense executes properly the Bears will start blowing teams out with runaway wins.
“If we get a performance like the defense had today and the offense is doing our thing, we’re sitting in here and it looks a lot prettier,” Odunze said.
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As the Bears look ahead to their next game during Sunday Night Football against the Houston Texans on the road, here are five takeaways from the Bears' first game.
A slow start
An electric Soldier Field was ready to explode Sunday, but the Bears were unable to light the fuze during a lackluster first half.
Williams and the offense found little success in the first 30 minutes. Williams went 8-for-14 for 52 yards and a rating of 65.2 in the first half. Williams also took a 19-yard sack on a critical play during the first quarter that knocked the Bears out of field goal range.
The poor start wasn't only on a rookie quarterback making his first career NFL start. The offensive line, specifically center Coleman Shelton and right guard Nate Davis, was bullied by the Titans' interior defensive line, which played a major role in the struggles of both the run and pass game.
BEARS REPORT CARD: Grading Caleb Williams, Bears in 24-17 win vs. Titans
The Bears racked up just 16 rushing yards in the first half.
Head coach Matt Eberflus' defense came out strong, forcing back-to-back three-and-outs to start. But the Titans' ground game got going on their third drive, and a 26-yard rushing score by Tony Pollard gave Tennessee an early 7-0 lead.
The Bears' defense gave up an average of 86 yards on the ground per game last season, but the Titans gashed them for 115 in the first half Sunday.
After a short field goal made it 10-0 Titans, quarterback Will Levis engineered a 14-play, 83-yard drive that extended the lead to 17-0 late in the second quarter. Levis finished off the drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo. Okonkwo made a leaping catch against cornerback Tyrique Stevenson in the end zone.
Special teams were special
The Bears' offense stayed stuck in the mud to begin the third quarter. Williams had a pass batted down at the line and then was sacked on third-and-20 after two pre-snap penalties on the offensive line.
But the defense forced a punt, and the punt return unit injected life back into a comatose Soldier Field.
Defensive end Daniel Hardy got quick penetration and blocked the punt, allowing safety Jonathan Owens to scoop it up and return it for a touchdown, cutting the Titans' lead to 17-10.
Owens' wife, championship gymnast Simon Biles, had the perfect reaction after seeing the play.
Where was the run game?
The Bears' run-game issues continued in the second half as the offensive line continued to get bullied by Tennessee's defensive front. Rookie defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat had his way with whoever the Bears put in front of him.
Entering the fourth quarter, Williams and Jones led the team with 11 rushing yards a piece.
The Bears finished the game with 86 rushing yards on 20 carries (4.3 yards per carry). But 14 of those came on a sweep to DJ Moore.
Swift led the team with 30 yards on 10 carries.
But the Bears' defense put the clamps on Titans young quarterback Will Levis and carried the Bears to an improbable comeback win.
Sunday started as a day that was supposed to be all about Caleb Williams' arrival as the Bears' franchise quarterback.
But it ended as a reminder of the rocky path that normally awaits a rookie quarterback, and that the Bears have a defense that can carry him on days he doesn't have his A-game.
Williams and the offense spent almost all day stuck in neutral or going in reverse against the Tennessee Titans defense. Tennessee jumped out to a 17-0 lead and had command of the game well into the third quarter.
Bears' defense shines
With Williams and the Bears' offense unable to get going, the defense took it upon themselves to take control against Levis and the Titans.
Taylor's strip-sack, which was recovered by T.J. Edwards, led to a 48-yard field goal by Cairo Santos, which cut Tennessee's lead to 17-16.
Then, on the ensuing drive, DeMarcus Walker got pressure on Levis on third-and-6. Walker had Levis in his grasp and the quarterback inexplicably tried to flip the ball out of bounds. The ball never got to the sideline and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson picked it off and walked it in for a 43-yard pick-six to give Chicago its first lead of the game.
A successful two-point conversion made it 24-17 Bears under eight minutes to play.
The Titans had one final chance to tie the game but Jaylon Johnson picked off Levis to ensure the Bears got off to a 1-0 start.
Bears' rookie QB looks like a rookie
Williams certainly looked like a rookie Sunday against the Titans.
He took a bad sack that cost them 19 yards in the first half. He was inaccurate and got sped up as the Titans' pass rush continued to pressure him. He had a number of balls tipped at the line of scrimmage and was lucky he didn't throw his first career interception on a ball that was wide of Moore and deflected into the hands of Odunze.
The No. 1 overall pick did have a possible touchdown pass dropped by Keenan Allen, but overall it was a rough showing for a young quarterback who will have to go through growing pains in Year 1.
"Obviously, we didn't perform how we wanted to," Williams said of the offense after the win. "We want to be the most efficient team out there, myself included. Didn't perform the way that I wanted to. I missed a few passes that I normally don't miss, all these other things. I think the small things always lead up to big things and make those moments a lot bigger, they make games a lot closer. Just small things, whether it's a pass play that I had to D'Andre Swift in the flat that I missed a little bit in front of him, whether it's missing [wide receiver DJ Moore] a little bit on that end route on the back side a little bit right in front of him."
The No. 1 overall pick arrived in Chicago with the weight of a city on his shoulder. Billed as a "generational talent," Williams wowed during training camp and the preseason with his arm talent and playmaking ability.
But there were rocky moments in training camp against the Bears' ascending defense, and there are bound to be ups and downs during Year 1 of the Williams era.
Williams expected that. Sunday's performance taught him a lesson and showed him what he must focus on as the Bears prepare for the Houston Texans in Week 2.
"First and foremost, just keep fighting, understand the team that I have here with me riding this journey, riding this battle with me, is the first thing I learned, and they’re unbelievable," Williams said. "And then secondly, I would say getting back in the lab, getting back with the guys, mainly the wide receivers, tight ends, all these other guys, just to make sure we’re on the same page at the end of the week, making sure that when we have these chances, when they want to go cover zero, that we make them pay. We didn’t do that today, but we’re going to get better in the future and the near future."
