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Eric Edholm’s takeaways:

1. Defense saved the day for Bears in Caleb’s debut. The Bears scored touchdowns on defense and special teams — but none on offense — digging out of a 17-0 hole the hard way to secure victory in Week 1 at Soldier Field. No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams struggled mightily most of the day, completing 14 of 29 passes for 92 yards and seldom looking comfortable behind a shaky Bears offensive line. Chicago had 28 or fewer yards on all but two drives and totaled only 11 first downs and 147 yards of offense. The run game didn’t help much until late in the game either. Williams’ two-point conversion to D’Andre Swift helped put the Bears up seven points late after a Tyrique Stevenson’s pick-six. Williams missed some open throws early and took a 19-yard sack that knocked the Bears out of field-goal range. He loosened up a little as the game went on, and Keenan Allen dropped a would-be TD pass, but it’s clear it will take time for this offense to marinate and grow. Give some credit to first-year Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson for a smart game plan, but the Bears also were grinding their gears a lot offensively.
2. Titans, Levis blow glorious chances to make big statements. The Titans hardly came out sharp but were the better of the two teams, taking a first-half 17-0 lead, controlling the clock and sucking the life out of the Soldier Field crowd. But the wheels came off as the Titans’ offense and special teams made critical mistakes, allowing the Bears back in the game in spite of their inability to move the ball consistently. Quarterback Will Levis got off to a slow start, but the offense found its rhythm with the run game, as Tony Pollard got loose for a 26-yard TD run and was their best power source. Levis showed some toughness and found Calvin Ridley on one big shot in each half, but he had only three catches on seven targets, with Levis underthrowing him after Ridley had beat Jaylon Johnson deep. The pressure really got to Levis on Sunday, especially on a second-half strip sack and a brutal pick-six on the following series. The game ended when Levis gifted an interception amid pressure. It was a tough start to the 2024 season after he showed some promising traits last season. New head coach Brian Callahan and coordinator Nick Holz need to identify how to minimize the pressure problems that sunk the offense in a game the Titans should have won.
3. Bears’ special teams, defense make mistakes but come up huge. It was a game of give and take for the Bears, especially on special teams but also on defense. The Titans had only 244 yards of offense but drove 70-plus yards twice to help build the early three-score lead before Chicago clamped down late in forcing three fourth-quarter turnovers. The Bears also gave the Titans points early when Velus Jones muffed a kickoff and booted it right to Tennessee, giving the Titans a field goal. Daniel Hardy was also guilty of an illegal block that wiped out a nice punt return. But Hardy could be forgiven, as his blocked punt helped spur the Bears’ turnaround in his Chicago debut, with Jonathan Owens returning it 21 yards for a touchdown (which almost gave his Olympian wife a heart attack). The Bears’ defense was fired up after that, helping turn the game on its head. Also credit the special teams for giving the Bears points, as DeAndre Carter’s 67-yard kickoff return led to their first points of the game.

Next Gen stat of the game: The Bears generated pressure on 47.4% of Will Levis’ dropbacks, the unit’s second-highest pressure rate in a game over the last three seasons. Three Bears defenders (Andrew Billings, DeMarcus Walker and Darrell Taylor) finished tied with a team-high five pressures, including three quick pressures each. Levis struggled against pressure, finishing 5 of 13 for 61 yards including both interceptions.

NFL Research: Caleb Williams became the first No. 1 overall pick to start and win at QB in Week 1 since Houston’s David Carr in 2002. No. 1 overall pick QBs are 4-14-1 in Week 1 starts since 1970, with Carr, Denver’s John Elway (1983) and New England’s Jim Plunkett (1971) the only others to win.