Caleb Williams has a rough debut but gets bailed out by Bears' defense in 24-17 win over Titans

Updated Sep. 8, 2024 6:48 p.m. ET

Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — This wasn't exactly the debut Caleb Williams envisioned. Good thing for him, his defense made just enough plays.

Tyrique Stevenson returned an interception 43 yards for the go-ahead touchdown, part of a defensive performance that bailed out Williams, and the Chicago Bears beat the Tennessee Titans 24-17 on Sunday.

The Bears, who have their sights set on a playoff spot after going 10-24 over the previous two seasons, rallied from a 17-0 first-half deficit, and they did it without a touchdown from their revamped offense. They shut down the Titans over the final two quarters and spoiled the debut of Tennessee coach Brian Callahan.

“It was a frustrating game,” Williams said. “But the most important thing is that it shows a bunch of the personality of this team, I would say — the fight, the resiliency that we had.”

It was frustrating for Tennessee, too. The Titans shut down Chicago's offense, only to give up 17 points off turnovers.

“It was a winning effort on defense,” Callahan said. “They did a really nice job. They made life hard for those guys, exactly how we wanted to. And we just handed them points.”

Williams, the No. 1 overall pick, finished 14 of 29 for 93 yards with a 55.7 passer rating. The former Heisman Trophy winner at Southern California still became the first quarterback drafted first overall to win his initial start since 2002, when David Carr led Houston past Dallas. The past 15 No. 1 picks were a combined 0-14-1 in first starts, beginning with Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer in 2003.

The Bears had just cut it to 17-16 on a field goal by Cairo Santos when Stevenson put Chicago on top midway through the fourth quarter. With DeMarcus Walker about to sack him, Will Levis flung the ball in desperation. Stevenson grabbed it and ran untouched down the sideline for his first first career touchdown. A 2-point conversion pass from Williams to D’Andre Swift made it 24-17.

Jaylon Johnson sealed the win with just over a minute remaining when he intercepted a deep pass intended for Tyler Boyd on fourth down at the Tennessee 40, giving fans who spent a big portion of the afternoon booing a reason to cheer.

In the Super Bowl era, teams that scored zero touchdowns and trailed by 17 or more points are 3-1,225. Two of those wins are by Chicago, with the 2006 team beating Arizona. The other was by Kansas City against Carolina in 2016.

“It’s one hell of a team, a team full of dogs,” Stevenson said. “At some point it’s going to be them helping us out. It is what it is. We still got the win. I’m happy for the boys.”

With Williams struggling with his accuracy, Chicago's vaunted receiving corps was quiet, too. DJ Moore caught five passes for 36 yards. Keenan Allen had 29 yards receiving in his Bears debut, and rookie Rome Odunze caught just one pass for 11 yards.

Chicago finished with 148 yards of offense and got its only other touchdown on special teams. Daniel Hardy blocked a punt in the third quarter, and Jonathan Owens recovered and returned it 21 yards for a score that got the Bears within 17-10.

Owens' play drew a roar from the crowd and delighted his wife, star gymnast Simone Biles, who answered “I ALMOST HAD A HEART ATTACK” in response to a post on X asking how she felt. His first touchdown as a Bear after playing for Green Bay last season came about five weeks after he took time away from training camp to watch her capture three more Olympic gold medals and a silver in Paris.

“It felt amazing,” Owens said. “Going back to the sideline, all the guys are excited for you. The defense is excited. The energy from the stadium is just rolling in. It didn't feel like real life.”

Santos cut it to 17-13 early in the fourth with a 50-yard field goal. The Bears then had a huge opportunity when Darrell Taylor strip-sacked Levis and T.J. Edwards recovered at the Tennessee 31, only to settle for another field goal that made it a one-point game.

Titans struggle

Levis was 19 of 32 for 127 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions to start his second season. Tony Pollard ran for 82 yards and a TD for Tennessee.

“We just got to be better,” Levis said. "That’s not us. That first half was a winning offensive football game. Second half, that can lose you games. Not good across the board.”

Injuries

Callahan said the Titans did not have any major injuries. RG Dillon Radunz (ribs) was hurt blocking on a pass play early in the third quarter but returned.