Chicago Bears' electric defense sounds off on Week 1 victory over the Titans

The Chicago Bears are 1-0, but not without a heroic and improbable effort from the defense and special teams in the second half. Down 17-3 after two quarters against the visiting Tennessee Titans, the Bears were able to string together four second-half turnovers to help go on a 21-point run to clinch the opening weekend win.

Led by defensive backs Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, and Jonathan Owens and linebacker T.J. Edwards, the Bears were victorious, and the defensive playmakers shared their thoughts on the team, the win, and what it all means.

Chicago Bears Defenders Speak on Big Plays, Comeback Postgame

Starting at the beginning of the second half, the Bears recorded their first takeaway on a blocked punt, which defensive back Jonathan Owens returned for the team's first touchdown. "It was exciting, I couldn't explain it," Owens recalled in the locker room following the game. "It was almost like it was too perfect."

Owens was sure to give credit to special teams coach Richard Hightower, who instilled confidence in the unit that they would end the game with a blocked punt. The reserve safety ultimately looks at the play as a reminder to take advantage of opportunities: "When it's your time to make that play, expect to make that play."

Late in the contest, the team again showed up in a tough situation, forcing a poor throw from a pressured Will Levis that ultimately fell into the hands of second-year cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. The athletic corner returned the ball for a 41-yard touchdown, providing the team with their first lead of the day.

"Honestly I was thinking sack," Stevenson recalled postgame. "The goal was to go out here and hold them to a third and long, get off the field, get the ball back to Caleb. When pitched it up, he made a mistake, and we just capitalized it. I'm glad I gave the team the energy to finish this game."

Stevenson's running mate, star cornerback Jaylon Johnson, shared his perspective on the game-breaking interception. "Honestly I thought it was a fumble," Johnson stated on his teammate's play. "I didn't know if it got out of bounds or not. When I saw him catch it I thought 'Oh we going to the house'. I was happy, I was a little tired, so I was glad he got the interception and we got a little break."

But Johnson did more than watch others make plays down the stretch. After narrowly missing out on an interception in the first half, the Titans' final drive ended up giving Johnson his first interception of the season. On redeeming his drop in the first half, Johnson joked "I was just glad I was given another opportunity to get one back."

Johnson's interception was the cherry on top for a dominant performance from the Bears' defensive outing, but perhaps the game's MVP was linebacker T.J. Edwards, who finished the game with 15 total tackles, two of which were for losses, and a fumble recovery after newcomer Darrell Taylor forced a strip sack in the second half.

"You want to be around the ball as a linebacker," Edwards said of his individual performance Sunday. "I think I'll focus the stuff I could have done better. But like I said we're excited. A win is a win." Pivoting his attention to the defense and team as a whole, Edwards spoke highly of the team's determination: "The good teams will find ways to win, and that's something we've got to build off of.... I felt the way that we handled the adversity was awesome. In the past, it could have gone a different way and it didn't."

Johnson added that as a group "we just kept pushing, kept going. We know we're a dominant defense... At the end of the day, anyone can win any given Sunday... They're a good team too... It was never going to be an easy win."

Johnson's protege on the opposite side of the defense said to the same effect "This is one hell of a team, a team full of dogs.... I think we had to sit back and realize who we are. Stop playing for the hype, stop playing for everything else around us and just realize we put in work for moments like this."

All in all, it did not take long for the Bears to pick up from where they left off a season ago as the league's leader in interceptions. Takeaways remain an essential part of the game, and if the defense can continue to make big plays down the stretch, the offense needs only to maintain the game and prevent any big mistakes, which ultimately led to the team's win on Sunday.