CHICAGO — Bears fans packed Soldier Field hoping to see something new. Something special. The start of a new era.
Instead, they got a rerun. A throwback game. A good old-fashioned “Da Bears” slobberknocker. But at least a familiar ending was also a happy one.
The Bears won their opener, 24-17 over Tennessee, behind a time-tested formula of defense, special teams and absolutely no offense.
It wasn’t ideal, but for the first game of a new season … whatever works, right?
GO DEEPER
Bears defense, special teams shines in comeback
Caleb Williams’ much-anticipated NFL debut was a rocky one, though that’s certainly not unusual for a rookie quarterback starting an opener. The last time a quarterback drafted No. 1 won his NFL debut was in 2002. The last 15 of them went 0-14-1.
I guess those other 15 teams didn’t have the Bears’ opportunistic defense and special teams.
“Obviously, great to get this first win,” Williams said after the game. “We’re all excited. We went to the locker room to celebrate and I sat down and enjoyed the moment, just watching all the guys celebrate, understanding that I need to be better, I will be better.”
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Williams went 14 of 29 for 93 yards and took a 19-yard loss on a sack. His longest completion was for 13 yards. He looked more like Craig Krenzel with a bootleg game than the second coming of Sid Luckman, but he didn’t throw an interception or lose a fumble. If Williams made one big mistake, the Bears probably lose this game. But he didn’t and they didn’t.
After a game in which the Bears offense netted 148 yards and no touchdowns, Williams met a packed interview room with a smile on his face and a skip in his step. Yes, he was bad Sunday, but no, he wasn’t rattled by the speed of his first, real NFL game.
“I saw things well,” he said. “A few passes out there may have been dropped, may have been missed. I think it was just miscues. The speed of the game, I wouldn’t say it affected or changed much.”
“I don’t think there was any anxiety,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. “He was calm, cool and collected the whole time. Never got frustrated. We always talk to him about the response you have of just hanging in there, because sometimes it can get rough on both sides. It can get rough. You’ve just got to hang in there. You’ve got to have that belief — the belief in the man next to you, belief in your teammates. It’s not just about one guy. That’s what I saw at halftime. They exhibited that the second half.”
All about the response 💯 pic.twitter.com/pmmcca4ee4
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 8, 2024
Throughout the game, Williams threw a few too many passes at his receivers’ feet or well past their hands. There was no pixie dust on his deep ball. Sometimes, he looked smooth extending plays by rolling out, but no one was open.
Still, he never looked spooked. One thing I believe about Williams is that he believes he’s the man. It’s not false confidence either. Some people disguise their insecurities with attitude. That’s not Williams. You can see why Bears GM Ryan Poles quickly realized he was their guy at No. 1.
But he’s still a rookie playing the most difficult position in sports. The Bears won in spite of him and that’s fine for now. Next week, in Houston, you expect more. And more the next week and the week after that. That’s how this works.
With this defense, the Bears are built to win this season and Williams has to be a major factor to make it happen. At the very least, he can’t be the reason that they lose. In his first game, no one should have expected too much from him. As for the Bears’ veteran-laden defense? You can expect away.
Chicago grabs a pick-six and takes the lead in the fourth 🔥
🎥 @NFL | @ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/mxbc4oP6RR
— The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) September 8, 2024
When was the last time the Bears won a game without scoring an offensive touchdown? Uh, last November when Cairo Santos kicked four field goals in a 12-10 win over the Vikings. On Sunday, Santos had three field goals, with a 48- and 50-yarder in the second half.
After giving up two touchdowns in the first half, Eberflus’ defense pitched a second-half shutout while harassing Titans quarterback Will Levis to the tune of 127 yards passing, two interceptions and a lost fumble. Williams got a “what not to do” tutorial from his peer. Tennessee’s second-half drive drive chart looked like this: blocked punt (touchdown), punt, punt, fumble, interception (touchdown), punt, interception.
“We know we’re a dominant defense,” said cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who clinched the game with that final interception.
Down 17-3, the Bears’ first touchdown came on a blocked punt in the third quarter. Daniel Hardy got the block and Jonathan Owens finished the play with a scoop and a score. In the fourth quarter, trailing 17-16, Chicago got its other touchdown when Levis threw an ill-advised pass under duress that found the waiting hands of Tyrique Stevenson, who took it 43 yards.
“We’re a team full of dogs,” Stevenson said. “At some point, it’s going to be the offense helping us out.”
I’ve heard that quote a time or three from a Bears defensive player before, but this time maybe it’s true. It might take a few weeks. Maybe longer. But Williams and the offense will be the reason this team wins games this season.
For now, the Bears are a defense-first team. Same as it ever was. There’s something comforting in the familiar, even when you want to see something different.
Williams’ six-week training camp was hellish at times thanks to the D, which never let up on him in practice and let him hear about it. With that experience seared into his head, he said he predicted Stevenson’s interception from the bench.
“It was awesome to be able to watch that,” he said. “I kinda lost my voice at the end of the game cheering on our guys.”
(Photo: Quinn Harris / Getty Images)
