WHEN THE BEARS HAVE THE BALL
Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, makes his much-anticipated debut under much more favorable circumstances than his predecessor, Justin Fields.
Williams was anointed the starter from the day he was drafted, so he’s had all the first-team reps in the offseason program and training camp. He has a better supporting cast with wide receivers DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and rookie Rome Odunze. He has a better defense. And he’s playing at home against a rebuilding Titans team under a first-time head coach in Brian Callahan.
Fields was a second-team quarterback behind Andy Dalton who made his first start in Week 3 on the road against a Browns defense that would rank fifth in yards and 10th in sacks in 2021. It was a disaster from the start. Seven of the Bears’ first 10 plays went for one yard or less — including three sacks. Fields was sacked nine times overall as the Bears had one net passing yard in a 26-6 loss.
But there are two other differences from the Fields experience that appear to be real but still need to be confirmed under fire — Williams is a better quarterback, in an offense that caters to his strengths. If this is the dawn of a new era, it should be fairly apparent from the start.
“We expect to execute at a high level,” offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said, “in terms of the operation, avoiding pre-snap penalties, staying ahead of the chains, playing efficient football, being an efficient running team, being able to operate at a high level.”
WHEN THE TITANS HAVE THE BALL
The Titans present a series of unknowns for the Bears’ defense in their first game under Callahan, who was the Bengals’ offensive coordinator — but not their play-caller — under Zac Taylor.
Quarterback Will Levis, a 2023 second-round draft pick who went 3-6 with an 84.2 passer rating (eight touchdowns, four interceptions) in nine starts as a rookie, has former All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and several talented newcomers — wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd, running backs Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears replacing Derrick Henry and rookie left tackle JC Latham, the seventh overall pick of the draft.
That might be a winning combination eventually. But in Week 1 of their first season together, the unknown factor probably figures to be in the favor of a Bears defense that is eager to prove it’s among the five or 10 best in the NFL after leading the NFL in fewest points allowed over the final eight games of last season.
“We’ll look at [Callahan and his staff] as much as we need to — some of this is projection,” Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington said. “There’s no guarantee this coach will Xerox what they did in Cincinnati. He’ll have his own ID and spin on what he’s done, and our focus will continue to be on us. We have rules, we have a. Process that we feel like will line up and present itself to whoever we’re playing against.