CHICAGO – Early in the summer the storyline was that the Bears defense might have to carry Caleb Williams and the rest of the new-look offense while they got their sea legs. Hard to imagine anybody expected it to look like the team’s performance in Week 1, though.
The offense was clunky, like it had been for portions of training camp. But it struggled in most areas, not just one. The line didn’t get much push against the talented Titans front. Williams looked out of sync with most of his receivers. Running backs went nowhere. Things looked bleak.
By the time the fourth quarter started, it looked like the Bears were on their way to a disappointing loss to start the year.
Until the defense took over.
After getting gashed for most of the game, the pass rushers started to get home and make plays on the ball. They started creating turnovers. A blocked punt returned for a touchdown began to turn the tides. Finally, in the fourth quarter, head coach Matt Eberflus dialed up extra pressure on a 3rd-and-6 play. Tremaine Edmunds and Kyler Gordon joined the defensive line to attack Will Levis and it worked. Levis threw an ill-advised pass, Stevenson stepped in front of it and returned it for a game-winning touchdown.
Just how things were drawn up, right?
Beyond the heroics at the end of the game, here were the Bears’ studs in their 24-17 win over the Titans, and here were the guys who will need to clean some things up before Week 2.
