The Chicago Bears are favorites to open the season with a win when they take on the Tennessee Titans. Still, the Titans spent their offseason revamping things and they could be a surprise team.
If the Bears were to struggle in the season opener, who are the players on the Titans that are going to make life difficult?
Will the Chicago Bears be better at defending passes to the running backs?
The Bears were the worst team in the NFL when it came to defending passes to the running backs. Some of it is the competition they faced, as it started with issues against Aaron Jones and continued against guys such as Austin Ekeler and Antonio Gibson. Some of this came down to Jaquan Brisker being in and out of the lineup, Tremaine Edmunds struggling early and getting injured, and then T.J. Edwards taking a few weeks to gather himself in the defense.
This season, there really are no excuses. Brisker and Edmunds are healthy and Edwards finished the season with much improved coverage ability. So, this group will be put to the test immediately. The Titans bring in two running backs. Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard. Both have speed and both are threats to catch passes and beat linebackers in space.
The Titans went out and brought in Pollard and noted that they plan to use these two together. This will be a tough initial test for the defense.