Chicago Bears Week 1 victory was reminiscent of Bears' teams of yesteryear

Well, it was ugly wasn't it?

The Chicago Bears began their 2024 season with a come-from-behind 24-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans, a game in which they trailed 17-0 late in the 2nd quarter. The Bears' defense and special teams came up big in the second half to bail out the offense, which looked discombobulated and out of sync the entire game.

On the Bears' second offensive possession, after converting on 4th and 3, Caleb Williams took a massive sack that resulted in a loss of 19 yards, which took them out of the field goal position. On 3rd and 29, they called a screen to tight end Gerald Everett for a loss of a yard. That took the momentum out of the Bears as the Titans marched down and scored a touchdown on 8 plays 79 yards on their subsequent possession.

Then Velus Jones Jr. muffed a kickoff that bounced 20 yards off him and was recovered by the Titans. The Bears limited them to a field goal, but after another 3 and out by the Bears' offense, the Titans scored another touchdown, capping off a 14-play, 73-yard drive that took more than 8 minutes off the clock. 17-0 Titans.

The Bears got a huge break when DeAndre Carter finally replaced Velus Jones and returned 67 yards. The Bears got a jolt that they needed to score just before halftime. But Keenan Allen dropped a pass that he should have caught for a touchdown forcing them to settle for a field goal before halftime. The feeling of doom started to set it.

As the offense went three-and-out to the start of the second half, the special team blocked a punt, and backup safety Jonathan Owens picked up and scored a touchdown that brought the energy back into Solider Field, which was in a comatose state.

The Bears' defense took over as Matt Eberflus adjusted his scheme in the second half after the Titans scored 17 points on his defense in the first half, for which he deserves credit. The pressure started to get to their quarterback Will Levis, sacking him three times, with two coming from newly acquired Darrell Taylor, which looks like a steal already. They forced three turnovers, including a pick-six by Tyrique Stevenson, which is probably the worst interception you will ever see.

The defense and special teams led to a victory which brought back memories of the past Bears win.

This game was reminiscent of the 2006 game against the Arizona Cardinals where the Bears trailed 23-3 and won 24-23 thanks to two defensive touchdowns and a punt return for a score by newly inducted Hall Of Famer Devin Hester. An old school Bears victory that brought success always fell short because the offense always held them back.

You can put the blame on the offensive line, which general manager Ryan Poles boasted looked like a total mess today. New center Coleman Shelton was pushed backwards multiple times and much maligned guard Nate Davis was taken out and replaced by Ryan Bates on several series. As a result, the run game led by D'Andre Swift was consistently tackled for a loss and did not help Williams, whose pass was tipped multiple times and was not on the same page with several receivers.

Fans who expected immediate offensive success out of the gate may have to adjust their expectations after today's result. It is a debut that both Williams and the Bears fans would like to forget for sure. If today's win was any indication, the Bears can lean into both units to bail them out this season like in the past while Caleb Williams and the offense figure things out.