Chicago Bears vs. Tennessee Titans: Live updates from Soldier Field

CHICAGO – All of Chicago is watching Sunday.

Caleb Williams is making his NFL debut as the Chicago Bears open the season Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. Head coach Matt Eberflus enters his third season in charge, while the organization embarks on his 105th season of professional football.

Eberflus brings with him a new offensive coordinator in Shane Waldron and a roster full of weapons ready to help Williams make the transition from college to the pros. The Bears are expecting big things from receivers DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze, not to mention new running back D’Andre Swift and returning tight end Cole Kmet.

Shaw Local Bears beat writer Sean Hammond and enterprise reporter Michal Dwojak will be reporting from Soldier Field. Follow Hammond on X at @sean_hammond, on Instagram at @bears_reporter and on Threads at @bears_reporter. Follow Dwojak @mdwojak94 on X and also on Threads. Shaw Local Bears analyst Marc Silverman will provide his thoughts on X at @WaddleandSilvy.

Stay here all game long, too, for live updates from Soldier Field.

Jaylon Johnson picks off Levis; Bears win

In a last-ditch effort, Titans QB Will Levis lofted a pass deep down the ride sideline, but it was Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson who grabbed it for an interception. It marked the third takeaway of the day for the Bears’ defense, and the fourth overall for the team counting Jonathan Owens’ touchdown on a blocked punt.

The Bears won, 24-17.

Stevenson’s pick six gives Bears the lead

On a third-down midway through the fourth quarter, the Bears dialed up a blitz. DeMarcus Walker got to Titans QB Will Levis and was in the process of bringing him down when Levis flipped the ball underhanded in an attempt to throw it away. Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson caught an easy lob and ran it back 43-yards for a touchdown.

The score gave the Bears their third takeaway of the day. It was their second touchdown and neither touchdown came from the offense. The Bears took the lead, 24-17, after trailing by 17 points in the first half.

Bears takeaway leads to 3 points

Bears defensive end Darrell Taylor knocked the ball out of Will Levis’ hands on a third down early in the fourth quarter. Linebacker TJ Edwards jumped on the loose ball for a Bears takeaway. It marked the first takeaway for the Bears defense this season and it couldn’t have come at a bigger moment.

It gave the Bears the ball in Titans territory, but the offense couldn’t make anything of it. Cairo Santos made a 48-yard field goal to cut the lead to one point. Tennessee leads, 17-16, with 9:52 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Bears add field goal, cut into Titans’ lead

Kicker Cairo Santos nailed a 50-yard field goal to cut Tennessee’s lead to four. The Titans lead, 17-13, with 14:47 to play.

Caleb Williams and the Bears drove 44 yards before stalling out in Titans territory. Along the way, Williams scrambled for an 11-yard gain and a first down on a third-down play.

Jonathan Owens scores on blocked punt

The Bears got a huge, needed boost from their special teams unit. Early in the third quarter, Bears defensive end Daniel Hardy blocked a Titans punt and Jonathan Owens grabbed the football and ran it back 18 yards for a touchdown.

With the offense struggling, it was exactly what the Bears needed. Tennessee still holds the lead, 17-10.

Bears add field goal from Cairo Santos

A 66-yard kickoff return from receiver DeAndre Carter boosted the Bears into Titans territory to start their next possession. Caleb Williams and the Bears drove 28 yards into the red zone, but their possession stalled out. Kicker Cairo Santos made an easy field goal to get the Bears on the board. Tennessee leads, 17-3, late in the second quarter.

Along the way, Williams completed a wild pass to receiver Rome Odunze that bounced off a defender, fell to Odunze, then Odunze fumbled and it was recovered by guard Teven Jenkins. It went down as Odunze’s first career reception.

Titans add another touchdown

The Titans drove 73 yards and ate up more than eight minutes of game time on their way to a touchdown. Quarterback Will Levis connected with tight end Chig Okonkwo for a 17-yard touchdown. The Titans extended their lead, 17-0, with 3:44 remaining in the second quarter.

The Titans converted three third-down plays and a fourth-down attempt along the way. Will Levis showed some athletic abilities running the ball too.

Velus Jones muffs kickoff, Titans add field goal

After Tennessee scored a touchdown to take the lead, Bears kick returner Velus Jones Jr. muffed the kickoff and the Titans picked it up for a special teams takeaway.

Jones fumbled the kickoff and as the ball was falling to the ground he kicked it right to the Titans. For a player who was fighting for a roster spot all throughout camp, it was the worst possible start to the season for Jones.

The Bears defense did come up big and held the Titans to a field goal. Tennessee leads, 10-0, with 14:06 to go in the second quarter.

Tony Pollard runs in touchdown for Tennessee

The Titans found the end zone first. Running back Tony Pollard hit a wide open hole and ran 26 yards for a Titans touchdown. Tennessee leads, 7-0, with 41 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Pollard looked tough on the entire possession. At one point a few plays before the touchdown, Pollard broke a pair of tackles on a tough first-down run. He has 57 rushing yards and a touchdown on seven carries.

Bears go 3-and-out on Williams’ first possession

The Bears won the coin toss and elected to defer until the second half. Last season, Matt Eberflus typically took the ball if he won the coin toss. So that appears to be a change in tactics.

The Bears defense forced a stop on the first possession of the game and the Titans punted away. Williams and the Bears’ offense couldn’t pick up a first down on their first possession. Williams completed one short pass to DJ Moore for one yard and also threw an incompletion on third down.

The Bears were forced to punt. Rookie punter Tory Taylor’s punt went into the end zone for a touchback.

Bears announce inactive players

The Bears announced seven inactive players Sunday ahead of the game. Wide receiver Tyler Scott, linebacker Noah Sewell, offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie, defensive tackle Zacch Pickens, running back Roschon Johnson, guard Bill Murray and defensive end Dominique Robinson will not suit up for the game.

After calling up long snapper Scott Daly and defensive end Byron Cowart from the practice squad Saturday, the Bears have 55 players on the active roster Sunday. NFL teams may dress only 48 players on game day.

Johnson has been dealing with a toe injury in practice. Scott is a healthy scratch and a bit of a surprise. Scott’s absence at wide receiver means that Velus Jones Jr. and DeAndre Carter will be the fourth and fifth wide receivers behind starters Moore, Allen and Odunze.

For the Titans, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is active and expected to play. Hopkins missed several weeks during training camp with a knee injury.

Is Caleb Williams ready?

Bears general manager Ryan Poles spent the offseason building a roster that would be well equipped to withstand the ups and downs that a rookie quarterback will inevitably go through.

The Bears traded for Allen, signed Swift in free agency and drafted Odunze with the No. 9 overall pick. They bring back four of their five starters on an offensive line that finished the 2023 season strong. Plus, the Bears upgraded the center position with Coleman Shelton expected to start.

Few rookie quarterbacks selected with the No. 1 overall pick have ever landed in such a favorable situation. Usually, the team with the No. 1 pick is the worst team in football. The Bears, on the other hand, finished 7-10 last year and landed the No. 1 pick thanks to a 2023 trade with the Carolina Panthers.

Williams has talent around him. Now, as Eberflus keeps saying, he needs to play point guard for his weapons.

[ Here’s how Chicago Bears veterans will help QB Caleb Williams navigate his rookie season ]

Injury updates

The Bears are pretty much as healthy as they can be. Defensive tackle Zacch Pickens was ruled out this week with a groin injury. Allen (heel) is the only offensive player listed as questionable, but he’s expected to play.

Defensive ends Montez Sweat (toe), Darrell Taylor (foot) and DeMarcus Walker (groin) are listed as questionable. Eberflus indicated Sweat is likely good to go, but Taylor is a game-time decision.

For the Titans, receiver DeAndre Hopkins (knee) is questionable to play. Hopkins is a big part of Tennessee’s offense, but he’s been out for several weeks now.

Safety Jamal Adams (hip) and linebacker Otis Reese (concussion) were ruled out. Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (calf) is listed as questionable.

What to know about the Titans

So who is going to win this game? Hammond and Dwojak both picked the Bears to win on the Shaw Local Bears Insider podcast this week. Check out the full episode here.

For more on this matchup, here are five storylines to watch heading into the game.

The Titans will start second-year quarterback Will Levis, who made nine starts last season as a rookie. The Titans added wide receiver Calvin Ridley and running back Tony Pollard in free agency. They have a rookie left tackle in JC Latham who they selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the draft.

Shaw Local analyst Marc Silverman is tired of the talk. Now is the time to see the results. Read Silverman’s column here.

This will also mark the debut for Titans new head coach Brian Callahan, who was previously the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals.

What else did I miss this week?

Here’s everything else that was happening at Halas Hall this week.

[ Velus Jones Jr. on trade offer: ‘I don’t want to lose this place’ ]

[ Chicago Bears teammates have supreme confidence in rookie QB Caleb Williams heading into opener ]

[ ‘Hard Knocks’ finale goes behind Chicago Bears’ decision to keep Velus Jones Jr. ]

[ Caleb Williams’ captaincy is no fluke, Chicago Bears rookie quarterback earned it ]