The Morning After...the Bears' comeback win vs. Titans in Week 1

The Chicago Bears defeated the Tennessee Titans, 24-17, in a comeback victory Sunday at Soldier Field.

It was a rollercoaster of a game that featured a tale of two halves. The Bears stumbled out of the gate and fell behind 17-3 at halftime. But even with the offense struggling throughout the game -- and Caleb Williams' rough first outing -- it was the defense and special teams that stepped up and ultimately won the game. Chicago's defense held Tennessee scoreless in the second half and the Bears scored 24 unanswered points to improve to 1-0 on the season.

There was plenty to break down following Chicago’s win over Tennessee, including Williams' rocky debut, defensive and special teams heroics and what's different about this squad than last year. Our Bears Wire staff is sharing their thoughts following the Week 1 win:

The Morning After...the Bears' comeback win vs. Titans

Alyssa Barbieri:

For one half of football, this game felt eerily similar to last year’s season opening dud against the Packers. The Bears didn’t look prepared to play this game. The offense, which was hyped during the offseason, couldn’t do anything. The defense, which had some impressive names, struggled. And it was like a punch in the gut.

Everything that could’ve gone wrong did. Caleb Williams missing a wide-open Keenan Allen for what would’ve been a touchdown. Allen then dropping a touchdown pass in the end zone. Williams trying to make magic happen and losing 19 yards on a sack. Velus Jones muffing a kickoff that led to Titans points. But then things changed in the second half. The defense and special teams stepped up in place of an ineffective offense, and the Bears managed to escape with a victory.

The defense was a unit possessed. After giving up 17 points in the first half (including three after the muffed kickoff), they pitched a second-half shutout and notched three takeaways, including Tyrique Stevenson’s game-winning pick-6. Meanwhile, outside of Jones, special teams also stepped up with Daniel Hardy’s blocked punt that was returned by Jonathan Owens for a score. And it’s safe to say the Bears have found their return specialist in DeAndre Carter, who thrived both returning kickoffs and punts.

Caleb Williams’ debut didn’t go as expected (but at least he wasn’t sacked nine times in his first start, ala Justin Fields), but despite the struggles of the offensive line and some ill-advised throws, he didn’t turn the ball over. There’s no way to sugarcoat it, Williams was bad in his first start, and he’d be the first to tell you that. But we know there are going to be growing pains with a rookie quarterback. This wasn’t an ideal start, but he’s going to get better.

The difference with this 2024 Bears team is clear. Last year, they should’ve won games and found ways to lose them. This year, they should’ve lost but found ways to win. And that’s the sign of a good football team — even if all phases didn’t play like it. While it was the defense and special teams that carried the team, there will be games when it’s the offense that shoulders the load. Now, just imagine when all phases are clicking at the same time.

Brendan Sugrue:

The best ugly wins are the ones at the beginning of the season. I had a feeling Caleb Williams and the Bears offense might have a slow start in Week 1, but maybe not to this extent. Still, it’s good to stack wins while working through issues that will hopefully be resolved later on in the season. That’s kind of what September football is nowadays, right?

Williams wasn’t great on Sunday. He wasn’t detrimental to the team, though. He was a rookie quarterback who played antsy, misfiring on plays and missing targets here and there. He also didn’t get help from his offensive line, particularly on the interior, with sacks allowed, and batted balls. Still, the offense committed zero turnovers, and that was the biggest factor. Just look at the defense to know why.

The Bears defense was stifling for much of the afternoon, having just two bad drives all day long. They put Will Levis in a blender and frustrated him where he threw multiple picks and lost a fumble, which literally cost Tennessee the game. They were undisciplined and faltered when it mattered most, unlike Matt Eberflus’ squad. Despite the slow start, that should be a feather in the coach’s cap.

You never apologize for getting a win, and each one should be celebrated. The important thing now is for the offense to continue getting on the same page and build as the season progresses. Stealing another win next week wouldn’t be so bad either, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Vincent Parise:

Some people thought the Tennessee Titans would be an easy challenge for the Chicago Bears. From day one that was a difficult matchup for this young team. No matter how good Caleb Williams may be in the end, NFL defenses are going to make it hard early in his career. Surrounding the kid with a good defense is a great way to keep his confidence up as he battles the early struggles of being in the NFL. They certainly picked him up in their comeback victory on Sunday.

There might be a few more weeks of this before Williams gets going. There’s a reason that a rookie number one overall pick hasn’t won in over two decades. Williams ended that streak which is something to be proud of. He got them into field goal range enough times and didn’t turn the ball over. The defense did the rest. With an impressive Houston Texans team on Sunday Night Football on deck, things may get tough. This is a good chance for Williams to witness C.J. Stroud from the other sideline and learn. With a great team around him, this is another good test.

Mike Pendleton:

This might be a stretch of a comparison but Sunday’s win felt familiar to the MNF game against Arizona in 2006. Not that this team is destined for the playoffs, but how the defense and special teams never allowed themselves to play as if the game was over early on.

In the years before Caleb Williams with Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields, there was always a sense of the quarterback failing and the rest of the team just falling into that narrative. Call it coaching or culture but it felt like the team was separated from those QBs. Not this year. Defense and special teams won the game but everyone held accountability, including Caleb Williams who promised to get better.

This was not the debut fans expected on tape or on paper, but the job got done. It doesn’t get easier with the SNF matchup against C.J. Stroud and the Texans but that makes this week even more intriguing. We could get a glimpse of the true potential of this team if everyone comes to play, not just defense or special teams. If all three sides of the Bears show up Sunday night, Caleb Williams could steal the spotlight and show why he was the top pick.

The talent is there, now everything just needs to come together.

Preston Comer:

It’s been a long wait for Bears fans to finally see Caleb Williams start in a regular season game. And to put it simply, it didn’t go accordingly. Williams and the offense as a whole struggled. Not only did the interior offensive line struggle to give Williams consistent time in the pocket, but the receivers struggled to create separation from the Titans’ secondary.

The Bears didn’t execute any major offensive adjustments in the second half, but the entire team remains hopeful and determined towards improving.

Williams showed some of the flashes we saw in preseason, but he has some settling down to do as he needs to progress through his reads much quicker.

The bright side of this win, is that the Bears looked like the old school Monsters of the Midway. As much as Eberflus and Bears fans want to see this offense click, there’s just something about their only two touchdowns coming from a blocked punt and a pick-6. And you can’t forget Chicago’s new weapon in flipping the field, Tory Taylor, who punted six times with an average distance of 45 yards and a long of 60 yards.

The offense as a whole has a lot of work to do before traveling to Houston, but Eberflus and Williams are saying all of the right things.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: The Morning After...the Bears' comeback win vs. Titans in Week 1