Tony Pollard had a first-quarter touchdown run, and Will Levis threw a TD pass to Chig Okonkwo to give Tennessee a 17-0 lead before the Bears kicked a field goal late in the half.
Jonathan Owens’ punt-block return touchdown cut the Titans’ lead to 17-10 in the third quarter. After two Bears field goals, an ill-advised Levis pass was picked off by Tyrique Stevenson and returned for a touchdown.
DeAndre Hopkins was active but had just one catch. Pollard had 82 rushing yards and the touchdown.
Will Levis lamented his pick-6 and the decision that led to it in the defining play of the game in the fourth quarter.
“It’s just a boneheaded play,” Levis said postgame. He recalled a previous play in which he got away with a similar decision, but it was “recency bias”.
Will Levis is pressured on fourth down, and he is intercepted by Jaylon Johnson. Ballgame.
A nice throw from Will Levis to Calvin Ridley could be a jumpstarter for the Titans offense, who have the ball at their own 42-yard line at the two-minute warning.
Will Levis is feeling the pressure. On 3rd and 6, a Bears blitz gets home, though Levis tries to get away and tosses a one-handed wobbler straight to Tyrique Stevenson. 43 yards later, the Bears lead via a pick-six. What a silly decision by Levis.
Chicago goes for two and gets it with a Caleb Williams pass in the flat to a wide open D’Andre Swift. Bears lead for the first time. The Titans offense needs to show a pulse.
A Darrell Taylor strip-sack of Will Levis is recovered by Bears linebacker TJ Edwards. Tennessee’s defense still is answering the call, forcing a 3-and-out and a Cairo Santos 48-yard field goal.
The lead is 1, and it is tenuous.
The Bears drive into Tennessee territory, but a low snap on third down helps the Titans defense get a stop.
Cairo Santos’ 50-yard field goal is good.
Dillon Radunz is back in the locker room with a wrist injury after leaving and coming back earlier in the game.
Tyjae Spears is stopped short on 3rd and 3, producing another Titans punt. Tennessee’s offense needs a big play and soon.
Bears special-teamer Daniel Hardy blocks a Ryan Stonehouse punt, and Jonathan Owens makes the scoop-and-score for the Bears touchdown from 21 yards out.
Absolute game changer, and a major special teams error that will remind Titans fans too much of 2023.
Tennessee’s lead is down to 17-10 and Soldier Field is alive.
A Harold Landry-Jeffery Simmons stunt springs Landry free to sack Caleb Williams on third down. Titans defense is feasting on the rookie QB.
Tennessee is doing a very good job mixing up pressures and impacting Williams with rushed throws and batted passes.
Total yards: Titans 179, Bears 50
Will Levis: 9-of-15, 67 yards, TD, 24 rushing yards, sacked once
Tony Pollard: 9 rushes, 64 yards, TD; 2 catches, 4 yards
Calvin Ridley: 2 catches, 28 yards
Caleb Williams: 8-of-14, 53 yards, sacked once
Bears: 8 carries, 16 rushing yards
After a Deandre Carter kickoff return into Titans territory, the Bears move the ball into position for a Cairo Santos 24-yard field goal. Titans defense bowed up on goal-to-go.
Highlight of the drive was a Rome Odunze catch off of a popup deflection, then fumbling the ball before a Bears recovery.
Halftime stats coming soon.
Will Levis is hit as he throws, but Chig Okonkwo comes down with the ball in the back of the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown. PAT good.
That was a very good drive overall for Levis, who is 9-of-15 for 67 yards and a TD while adding 24 rushing yards. He’s also doing a solid job of making decisions when facing pressure.
Will Levis had a 15-yard rush to push the Titans into the red zone on a designed read option midway through the second quarter.
Levis has 24 rushing yards on the drive as well as a 4th down completion to Tyler Boyd to extend the drive. Tennessee has a chance to create some real separation here.
The Titans offense can’t move the ball after the turnover, and Nick Folk hits from 40 yards out. Bears defensive front is continuing to get pressure on Levis.
A bizarre play gives the Titans the ball right back, as Velus Jones muffs the kickoff and it bounces off his foot. The ball shoots about 20 yards down the field, and Julius Chestnut wins the race to recover the ball. Wow. Tennessee has the ball in great field position.
Titans get on the board with a very good drive capped by a Tony Pollard 26-yard touchdown run over the left side. It’s an 8-play, 79-yard drive. PAT good.
On a 1st and 10 on the Titans’ 25, Bears rookie QB Caleb Williams is immediately pressured by Keondre Coburn and tries to scramble around. But Sebastian Joseph-Day eventually sacks Williams for a loss of 19 yards. Can’t always run away from the defensive lineman in the NFL.
Chicago eventually is forced to punt, with that loss of yardage knocking the Bears out of FG range.
The Bears elect to go for a 4th and 3 at the Titans’ 41-yard line and convert on a Keenan Allen five-yard catch.
That’s the first first down of the game for either team. Chicago is in field goal range.
Chicago goes 3-and-out after a good tackle by Jack Gibbens on a DJ Moore screen on second down and pressure on Caleb Williams on third down.
Gibbens got the start at linebacker alongside Kenneth Murray.
A Tony Pollard run for nothing and two Will Levis incompletions under pressure produce a opening drive 3-and-out for the Titans offense. Both JC Latham and Nicholas Petit-Frere allowed pressure off the edge on separate plays.
Chicago wins the toss and will defer. The Titans will get the first chance to return the dynamic kickoff.
Titans inactives
DB Jamal Adams
LB Otis Reese IV
OL John Ojukwu
TE David Martin-Robinson
TE Thomas Odukoya
LB Ali Gaye
Bears inactives
WR Tyler Scott
LB Noah Sewell
OL Kiran Amegadije
DL Zacch Pickens
RB Roschon Johnson
OL Bill Murray
DL Dominique Robinson
Keenan Allen is active after being listed as questionable, as is Montez Sweat.
DeAndre Hopkins is active and will play on Sunday. The veteran receiver injured his knee on July 31 and was out for a month before returning to practice in a limited status this week.
The Tennessee Titans vs. Chicago Bears game will broadcast live on FOX, with streaming options available on Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
Watch Titans vs. Bears live on Fubo (free trial)
Play-by-play : Adam AminAnalyst : Mark SanchezSideline reporter: Kristina Pink
Odds according to BetMGM on Saturday, Sept. 7
ODDS: Bears by 4O/U: 44 1/2 pointsMONEY LINE: Bears -200, Titans +170
Inactives will be announced at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday. For now, here’s the full injury report for the two teams heading into the game.
Titans injury report
WR DeAndre Hopkins (knee): Questionable
DB Chidobe Awuzie (groin): Questionable
DB Jamal Adams (hip): Out
LB Otis Reese (concussion): Out
Bears injury report
DE Montez Sweat (toe): Questionable
WR Keenan Allen (heel): Questionable
DE Darrell Taylor (foot): Questionable
DL DeMarcus Walker (groin): Questionable
DL Zacch Pickens (groin): Out
Tickets for Sunday’s game on StubHub are priced from $223 before fees. Given that it’s Week 1 and the debut of the home team’s new franchise QB, this is one of the most expensive games by get-in ticket price on the Titans schedule.
It will be a nice and relatively calm Sunday afternoon in Chicago, with game-time temperatures forecasted at 68 degrees with wind gusts up to 14 mph according to the National Weather Service . More importantly, there is no precipitation chance in the forecast.
All times central
Regular season
Week 1 (Sept. 8): at Chicago Bears, Noon on FOXWeek 2 (Sept. 15): New York Jets, Noon on CBSWeek 3 (Sept. 22): Green Bay Packers, Noon on FOXWeek 4 (Sept. 30): at Miami Dolphins, 6:30 p.m. on ESPNWeek 5: OPEN DATEWeek 6 (Oct. 13): Indianapolis Colts, Noon on CBSWeek 7 (Oct. 20): at Buffalo Bills, Noon on CBSWeek 8 (Oct. 27): at Detroit Lions, Noon on FOXWeek 9 (Nov. 3): New England Patriots, Noon on FOXWeek 10 (Nov. 10): at Los Angeles Chargers, 3:05 p.m. on FOXWeek 11 (Nov. 17): Minnesota Vikings, Noon on CBSWeek 12 (Nov. 24): at Houston Texans, Noon on CBSWeek 13 (Dec. 1): at Washington Commanders, Noon on FOXWeek 14 (Dec. 8): Jacksonville Jaguars, Noon on CBSWeek 15 (Dec. 15): Cincinnati Bengals, Noon on FOXWeek 16 (Dec. 22): at Indianapolis Colts, Noon on CBSWeek 17 (Dec. 29): at Jacksonville Jaguars, Noon on CBSWeek 18 (Jan. 4/5): Houston Texans, TBD
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