CHICAGO (670 The Score) – For all the talk around town about a new era, the Bears’ first victory of 2024 sure looked old and familiar.
The Bears’ 24-17 triumph over the Titans on Sunday at Soldier Field quickly conjured memories of the last time they built a Super Bowl roster, three years into Lovie Smith’s regime instead of Matt Eberflus’, back when defense and special teams became the two most impactful phases of the game.
This win was an ode to 2006.
This one was more ugly than elegant and resembled the good ol’ days at Halas Hall, back when the biggest takeaway from Bears games were all the takeaways, when the offense deserved to lose but the defense refused to let it. It was such a stark reminder of the Lovie era that you half-expected Eberflus to say “Caleb is our quarterback” after an offensive clunker in which the Bears managed a meager 148 total yards.
This one included the Bears defense turning rookie Caleb Williams’ much-ballyhooed NFL debut into a public service announcement that the real star of this team remains the unit that created three fourth-quarter turnovers and scored the game-winning touchdown.
That came with 7:35 left when Eberflus dialed up a blitz and defensive end DeMarcus Walker forced Titans quarterback Will Levis into his dumbest throw of the day, a desperate flip that cornerback Tyrique Stevenson plucked out of the air and returned 43 yards into the end zone.
Charles Tillman would be proud.
Just like that, the Bears had turned a 17-13 deficit to start the fourth quarter into a seven-point cushion that they preserved when Jaylon Johnson intercepted Levis with 1:15 remaining. Just like that, the Bears had found a second pass rusher to complement Montez Sweat as recently acquired defensive end Darrell Taylor – nice move, Ryan Poles – registered two sacks, including a forced fumble. Just like that, the Bears defensive linemen paid tribute to recent Hall of Famer Steve “Mongo” McMichael, who was honored at halftime, by pursuing Levis closely enough to smell his famous mayonnaise-scented cologne.
And, remember, the Bears’ relentless defense only was in position to score the go-ahead touchdown because Jonathan Owens returned Daniel Hardy’s blocked punt for a touchdown when the Bears trailed 17-3 in the third quarter and fans were so fed up they were checking their phones for the Cubs score.
Special teams complementing the defense while both carry the offense is a Bears tradition this team appears ready to uphold – until Williams develops.
“That's the NFL for you,” a relieved Williams said postgame. “It's hard to win in this league.”
The Bears will be better for having survived this degree of difficulty. Especially Williams, who compared this Titan-ic struggle to one long night against Notre Dame last October. That poor showing in South Bend neither defined Williams’ final year at USC nor his NFL potential, so overreact to his awful 14-of-29, 93-yard outing at your own risk. I don’t plan to.
Two points can be true at the same time: Williams has a long way to go, and it’s still OK to believe he’ll get there. It’s one game.
Still, improvement requires accountability – which Williams openly accepted like the young leader whom teammates respect enough to elect him a captain.
Start with the obvious realities to accept. Williams not only looked like a rookie but performed shaky enough in his NFL debut to hear the B word this week bandied around town: bust. Again, I won’t be among those suggesting such a thing about the No. 1 overall draft pick, but I understand and respect the instinct to do so after such a startlingly bad showing.
Williams showed a tentativeness we had yet to see before Sunday. He missed easy throws to DeAndre Swift and Keenan Allen. He got passes batted at the line of scrimmage. He made poor decisions, like scrambling his way to a 19-yard sack. He appeared rattled, such as when he dropped a shotgun snap and threw the ball out of the end zone on a key third down in the fourth quarter.
All the so-called “generational quarterback” did Sunday was remind Chicago sports fans of all the overrated Bears quarterbacks of the past generation. Not even George McCaskey’s HBO censors could’ve stopped the profanity from flying around Soldier Field after a bleeping awful first half.
“I saw things well,” Williams answered when asked about the speed of the game. “A few passes maybe, a drop maybe, a miss. Miscues, yes, but speed of the game-wise, it didn't affect or change much. The miscues made it look that way.”
In the most misleading statistic of the day, Williams became the first quarterback drafted No. 1 overall to win his NFL debut since David Carr in 2002. After Carr, those quarterbacks were 0-14-1 until Sunday. Even Eberflus referenced that statistic postgame. It's less clear who was the last rookie quarterback carried during his first win as much as Williams. In the context of recent quarterbacks drafted high in the first round, on this day Williams was more Bryce Young than C.J. Stroud. That’s likely to change as early as next Sunday night in Houston against Stroud.
Suffice to say, the Bears believe in their quarterback as much as he does.
“I need to be better,” Williams said in a white T-shirt and with his fingernails painted orange. “I will be better.”
That goes for everybody on offense, from the line that couldn’t block the run to Williams to every member of a unit that didn’t exactly enhance offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s reputation. Nobody cares about Eberflus’ neatly manicured haircut if his offense is sloppy.
“You've just got to be good as a team,” Eberflus said. “It’s never about one side or one person.”
At halftime, the Bears amplified that message with intensity and purpose. From Eberflus to players in the locker room, everyone referenced the way the Bears opted for passion over panic despite playing the first 30 minutes like it was their fifth preseason game.
“During halftime, they were great,” Eberflus said. “They looked each other in the eye and said, ‘We got this.’”
They got this.
They weren’t going to let Williams playing like a rookie get in the way. They weren’t going to let Velus Jones Jr. muffing a kickoff … then kicking the ball … then losing a fumble … then making everyone but the “Hard Knocks" producers wish he was cut last week … deter them. (Nothing unifies Bears fans quite like complaining about Jones.)
They weren’t going to let the highly regarded defense giving up 17 points to the Titans in the first half kill confidence they cultivated all training camp.
They weren’t going to let anything – their own anemic offense or the Titans – deprive them of a Week 1 victory that, in the end, did nothing to dissuade anybody from describing the Bears as a team with legitimate playoff potential.
First impression: They still are.
“I don't care about stats,’’ Williams said. “I feel great.”
As he should. The 1-0 Bears should too. Their future looks a lot like a part of their past worth celebrating.
David Haugh is the co-host of the Mully & Haugh Show from 5-10 a.m. weekdays on 670 The Score. Click here to listen. Follow him on Twitter @DavidHaugh.