With less than four minutes remaining in the first half, the Tennessee Titans had a commanding 17-0 lead over the Chicago Bears and seemed to be pulling away in the 2024 season opener.
But thanks to some excellent special teams plays and timely defense, the Bears roared back and put up 24 unanswered points. A blocked punt returned for a touchdown and an interception returned for a touchdown by Tyrique Stevenson propelled Chicago to a 24-17 victory. It was a collapse of epic proportions for Tennessee.
In the second half, the Titans offense got shut down. They had just 55 yards of total offense after halftime and every possession ended with either a turnover or three-and-out.
Every time it seemed like the Bears were dead, the Titans gave them air to breathe. That sliver of air turned into a full-blown oxygen tank when Will Levis turned the ball over three times. There's really no way to sugar coat...the Titans' offense was atrocious. There was no rhythm. There was very little success in the passing game.
For a rookie head coach with an offensive background and a young quarterback with high expectations, that's really discouraging.
But it wasn't all bad for Tennessee on Sunday afternoon. The Titans defense was worth writing home about. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams finished the day 14-for-29 with just 93 passing yards. Bears running backs had just 55 yards on the ground.
Of the Bears' 24 points, 21 of them came courtesy of defensive or special teams plays. Seven (7) points on blocked punt, eight points on Stevenson's interception and the ensuing two-point conversion, and six points on field goals after a strip sack long kick return set up the Bears in scoring position.
Chicago really only had one drive (11 plays, 39 yards) where their offense earned them points. That's a testament to Tennessee's defense.
"I feel great. It's frustrating to lose, but I'm motivated. The way we played on defense was what we expected. We came into the game with a lot of confidence, especially up front. Our message was to make [Caleb Williams] earn his stripes and we did," Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons told me after the game.
"We played lights out on defense and did a hell of a job. That;'s something we can build off of. I'm not worried about our offense either. They're going to clean that stuff up."
For Titans fans looking for a silver lining...there it is. Tennessee's defense was spectacular against a Bears offense that has DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Keenan Allen, Cole Kmet, and a quarterback that was drafted with the first overall pick.
That's a good sign that Tennessee could turn things around in a hurry. A dominant defense is going to keep you in football games, and I have to believe that Brian Callahan's offense is going to look better in the future. That being said, if the Titans offense doesn't figure things out quickly, the 2024 season could get sour in a hurry. Tennessee has games against the Jets, Packers, and Dolphins coming up and the schedule isn't going to get easier.
It's Week 1. It was a horrible collapse by the Titans on Sunday...but it's Week 1. Let's try to stay measured and understand that freaky things can happen in the first game of the season. Let's also understand that moral victories and silver linings like Simmons offered in the locker room postgame don't mean much once losing becomes a trend.
Tennessee needs to be better.
