The Chicago Bears are favorites to open the season with a win when they take on the Tennessee Titans. Still, the Titans spent their offseason revamping things and they could be a surprise team.
If the Bears were to struggle in the season opener, who are the players on the Titans that are going to make life difficult?
Will the Chicago Bears be better at defending passes to the running backs?
The Bears were the worst team in the NFL when it came to defending passes to the running backs. Some of it is the competition they faced, as it started with issues against Aaron Jones and continued against guys such as Austin Ekeler and Antonio Gibson. Some of this came down to Jaquan Brisker being in and out of the lineup, Tremaine Edmunds struggling early and getting injured, and then T.J. Edwards taking a few weeks to gather himself in the defense.
This season, there really are no excuses. Brisker and Edmunds are healthy and Edwards finished the season with much improved coverage ability. So, this group will be put to the test immediately. The Titans bring in two running backs. Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard. Both have speed and both are threats to catch passes and beat linebackers in space.
The Titans went out and brought in Pollard and noted that they plan to use these two together. This will be a tough initial test for the defense.
Will the Titans' defensive line beat up the Chicago Bears' interior?
We finally get to see if the Bears' interior offensive line can come together or not. Last year, we hardly saw Nate Davis and Teven Jenkins healthy together, and when they were, the Bears usually won. They didn’t even have a competent center at that point, so this year things should be much better.
We have not heard a peep injury-wise from Teven Jenkins and Nate Davis has been healthy for nearly a month now. That is about how long Coleman Shelton has held down the starting center job as well. They come in as strong as ever.
Still, Tennessee is built to win with their interior defensive line, so this will be a test. Jeffery Simmons is the leader of the group and one of the top interior rushers in the NFL.
The Titans made sure to support him as a stout run defender in Sebastian Joseph-Day. Joseph-Day was a key free-agent addition and his ability to plug holes should allow Simmons to penetrate rush lanes.
T’Vondre Sweat was drafted in the second round despite an issue before the draft that would have caused him to fall further. It speaks to how much the Titans like him, but also how much they want to win up-front.
The Titans set out to improve their defensive front, the Bears did the same with their interior. What looks better in week one?
Will the Chicago Bears' interior defensive line struggle against the Titans rebuild the offensive line?
The Titans are a team that is trying to win through the trenches. They also made some key offensive line additions this offseason to rebuild. J.C. Latham is next to Peter Skoronski as the two former top-ten picks, and the Titans added Lloyd Cushenberry in free agency.
This group, especially Skornski and Cushenberry will be a big test for the Bears' interior defensive line. It seems as though Zacch Pickens is out, so all of the depth pieces were acquired in the past couple of weeks.
Andrew Billings can usually handle his own, but Gervon Dexter is a major question mark. Dexter will be seeing a lot of Skoronski, but will also get his matchups against Dillon Radunz, the expected starting right guard.
Dexter has to dominate Radunz because on paper, he is expected to lose to Skoronski. If Dexter starts slow, the questions of how this team can get a good enough pass rush will get louder.
The Chicago Bears secondary gets an interesting test out of the gates
The Chicago Bears are going to have one of the best secondaries in the NFL. They are also going to get tested right out of the gates with the Titans. The Titans have a lot of name value in their receiver room.
DeAndre Hopkins is getting older, but he is still a great receiver and appeared to find a groove with Will Levis toward the end of the season. Last season it was easy to key-in on Hopkins, this year the team added Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd into the mix.
Ridley is not quite the player he was before his suspension, but now that he is the number two in Tennessee, things will open up for him again. Boyd fits perfectly into the slot and that does not mention Treylon Burks, who is sliding down the depth chart but still could flash this year.
Tyrique Stevenson and Jaylon Johnson will square off with Hopkins and Ridley, with Kyler Gordon seeing Tyler Boyd for most of the day. The Bears have the talent to win those matchups, and if they are the best secondary in the NFL, they will win those matchups.
Is Will Levis the real deal?
Sometimes you can win in a lot of areas, but if the other team has a quarterback who can make things happen then there is nothing you can do. That is why Caleb Williams was drafted so high, with expectations of what he could do.
It is also why the Titans are giving Will Levis a chance despite struggling in college. He has the athletic and physical upside that makes him a playmaker.
Matt Eberflus has designed his defense to keep things contained and avoid the big play. They do not sell out for turnovers and will force the quarterback to take what is given. Levis has that bit of playmaker in him and will want to push his boundaries here and there.
As long as the Bears play sound defense and stick to their zones, they will be fine. However, if Levis starts fitting balls into tight windows the defense is going to have to adjust and try to force him to make more mistakes. This will be one great test and Bears fans will know if Levis has what it takes in year two very soon.
