5 big takeaways from Chicago Bears’ season-opening win against the Tennessee Titans

CHICAGO – On a day when quarterback Caleb Williams made his NFL debut, it was the Chicago Bears defense that stood out most. The defense forced three turnovers and the Bears scored a touchdown on special teams en route to a victory over the Tennessee Titans, 24-17, on Sunday at Soldier Field.

Williams had a so-so day in his debut, but more on the quarterback later. The defense was the star of the afternoon.

Here are the five big takeaways from Sunday’s win.

1. Tyrique Stevenson seals the win

Tyrique Stevenson has plans for the football. That would be the football he caught from Titans quarterback Will Levis. The Bears trailed, 17-16, in the fourth quarter when Levis and the Titans faced a third-and-6 in their own end of the field.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus dialed up a blitz. It was defensive end DeMarcus Walker who reached Levis and nearly had a sack. In a last-ditch effort, Levis flipped the ball underhand in an attempt to avoid the sack. The floating ball was an easy interception for Stevenson, who ran it back 43 yards for a touchdown.

“Levis likes to be stubborn and not want to go to the ground and be able to be a tough guy,” Walker said. “Obviously, hat’s off to him. The kid has good talent and he’s able to make a lot of plays, but certain plays, when you take risks, you’ve got to know risk management.”

The risk wasn’t worth the reward on this one. Stevenson’s touchdown gave the Bears their first lead of the day, erasing a 17-point hole.

For Stevenson, the second-year pro, it marked his first pick-six touchdown ever – high school, college or the NFL. He kept the football, too, and plans on displaying it in his house.

“When he flipped it, it happened so slow,” Stevenson said. “When he flipped it I was like, ‘You know what? Let me go to the crib.’”

2. Daniel Hardy, Jonathan Owens change the momentum

Both defensive end Daniel Hardy and safety Jonathan Owens wanted to find a way to make a difference in the third quarter with the Bears trailing, 17-3. They paired up to change the game’s momentum.

After the Bears defense forced the Titans to punt on their first drive of the second half, Hardy burst through the middle and blocked the attempted punt. Owens sprinted toward the ball, picked it up and sprinted 21 yards to score.

“It was a blur at first,” Owens said. “When I got to the end zone, it was like, ‘Did I really just score?’ But I was glad. I felt the energy.”

The play was a rarity for both players. That touchdown was the second in Owens’ career, while that play was the first time in Hardy’s life that he had ever blocked a punt.

The surprise touchdown completely changed the energy in Soldier Field. Bears players believe the play changed the trajectory of the game. As two backup defenders trying to make their mark, both Owens and Hardy were grateful to make a difference in the win.

“I was juiced, indescribable feeling,” Hardy said. “Especially at that moment of the game, we needed a spark, something that big. Just feeling the momentum shift was amazing.”

3. Darrell Taylor makes impact with new team

When the Seattle Seahawks traded Darrell Taylor to the Bears for a sixth-round pick in August, Taylor didn’t change much about his game. He just stuck to his new team’s scheme and what his coaches told him to do.

That worked out well for Taylor on Sunday. He finished with two sacks, had eight tackles, two for a loss, and forced a fumble in the fourth quarter that led to a field goal.

“It’s exciting,” Taylor said. “[The Seahawks] didn’t see a spot for me, but the Chicago Bears saw a spot for me on their team. I’m excited to be here, make an impact and do whatever I can to help this team win.”

Taylor’s strip sack was the first of three Bears turnovers in the fourth quarter. Linebacker T.J. Edwards recovered the football and Cairo Santos knocked in a 48-yard field goal to make it a one-point game, 17-16, with 9:52 remaining.

After watching Hardy and Owens combine to score on special teams, Taylor was excited to contribute a takeaway.

“That changed a lot of momentum for us,” Taylor said. “We’re just creating takeaways to get the ball to our offense and give them another opportunity to get in the end zone and score. That was big for us and I was excited to do that and help the team out.”

4. Williams and the offense struggle

Williams threw for just 93 passing yards in his debut. It was not pretty, but it was enough to win the game. He led the Bears into field goal range a couple of times, even if his offense never found the end zone.

“I don’t think there was anxiety,” Eberflus said. “He was calm cool and collected the whole time. Never got frustrated.”

The first three offensive possessions ended in punts, so did five of the first six. Williams couldn’t seem to find much of a rhythm, especially in the first half. DJ Moore and Keenan Allen caught a handful of passes each, while rookie Rome Odunze hauled in only one.

Williams’ best play of the day might have been an 11-yard scramble for a first down. It was not an electric day, but the rookie believes he can build off of it.

Asked about his takeaways of the day, Williams said No. 1 was to never stop fighting. No. 2 is getting back to work.

“Getting back in the lab,” Williams said. “Getting back with the guys, mainly the wide receivers, tight ends, all these other guys, just to make sure we’re on the same page at the end of the week, making sure that when we have these chances, when they want to go cover zero, that we make them pay. We didn’t do that today, but we’re going to get better in the future.”

5. Velus Jones loses costly fumble

After an offseason’s worth of discussion about whether Velus Jones Jr. belongs on this team, the Bears kept Jones on the 53-man roster after training camp and had big plans for him at both receiver and running back. Jones was active on Sunday ahead of receiver Tyler Scott, who didn’t play in the game.

But on Jones’ first kickoff return of the season, the third-year pro fumbled the kickoff and kicked the football as it fell to the ground. The ball booted 20 yards down field and the Titans recovered it. It led to a Titans field goal and it sucked the air out of the home crowd.

For Jones, it was the worst possible start to the season. The Bears benched him in favor of DeAndre Carter on kickoffs for the remainder of the game.

“I’ve had my fair share of fumbles and dropped kicks,” said Carter, who replaced Jones. “It’s a next play mentality. I just told him, ‘Man, we’ve got your back. Don’t get too down on yourself. You’ll get opportunities to make a play at some point.’”

The Bears had several coaches vouching for Jones on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.” Kickoff was supposed to be the one area of the game where Jones is rock solid.

Sunday, however, told a different story. Jones did have three touches on offense, totaling 19 yards from scrimmage on two carries and one reception.

“We’ll evaluate, in terms of kick return, as we go,” Eberflus said.