Dirty win gave Bears needed dose of reality
The season opener at Soldier Field was a perfect result not only for the Bears, but the entire city.
The first half provided a much-needed reality check, followed by an improbable notch in the win column.
A victory against Tennessee required the most ill-advised pass and pick-six the Bears could ever hope for. Fluke or not, the end result is they're a game ahead of Green Bay in the standings after Week 1.
“Yeah, bonehead play,” Titans QB Will Levis said after the game. “Was really just trying to dirt it.”
Maybe Levis needs to put dirt in his coffee this week instead of, gag, mayonnaise. Every sip will provide a taste of Tyrique Stevenson's easy game-winning interception return.
Bears fans, meanwhile, shouldn't lose touch with what happened in the first half. They were badly outplayed and lucky to be trailing just 17-3. Those two quarters provided a much-needed reminder that preseason means nothing, Caleb Williams is a rookie playing against real NFL defenses for the first time and the Bears' roster is far from perfect.
Maybe the one constant during Williams' rookie season will be painted fingernails. He went with orange for the season opener, with “#18, Da Bears” written on the digits. Then Williams got to feel the Justin Fields experience, which is never get too comfortable in the pocket.
The steps to becoming a good NFL quarterback are identify, process and make a near-perfect throw, all within a span of about five seconds. Not many can do it under perfect circumstances, let alone while never knowing when the protection may break down. The Bears’ offensive line allowed the seventh-most sacks last season and there wasn't much sign of improvement Sunday.
The Bears certainly don't want to see Williams get jumpy in the pocket, running from pass rushers that are still getting blocked, like Fields did. After his first official performance, Williams earned good grades for attitude, but the win made that easier.
“I don't care about stats,” Williams said. “I feel great. We're going to be better next week.”
On defense, the Bears need another star lineman to pair with Montez Sweat. On at least one play, the Tennessee tight end hit Sweat a couple times and went out for a pass, while the offensive tackle just sat back and waited to become the second blocker get after him.
Defensive line personnel was a problem in the first half. Then in the second half, it seemed possible Darrell Taylor, the newcomer from Seattle, could be that guy, maybe?
The stars of the game were, one, Daniel Hardy, former seventh-round pick from Montana State, for bullying his way to a momentum-changing punt block. And two, defensive coordinator Eric Washington or whoever ordered the blitz that had Levis seeking dirt.
Head coach Matt Eberflus made sure to give himself a pat on the back for the players having a positive attitude at halftime. It is true, the fight shown by the Bears in the second half was encouraging.
“During halftime they were great, they looked each other in the eyes and said, ‘We got this,’” Eberflus shared. “That’s a different attitude and culture we’ve developed over here the last couple of years.”
Fair enough. The Eberflus culture and Williams stat-free demeanor did lead to victory. Just don't count on the same dumb mistake from Houston's C.J. Stroud next week.