The Chicago Bears defeated the Tennessee Titans 23-17 to win their first preseason game this August. The Bears are now 4-0 in preseason games under Matt Eberflus. The Bears made positive and negative impressions on the fanbase this past weekend.
The first team offense was fast and efficient
The Bears’ first-team offense scored on both drives to start the game. On the first drive of the game, Chicago needed only three plays to score a touchdown. The quick drive resulted in a 62-yard touchdown pass from Justin Fields to DJ Moore. The Bears’ second drive was four plays and was capped off by a 65-yard touchdown pass from Justin Fields to Khalil Herbert. Fields completed all three of his passes for 129 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and a perfect passer rating.
Khalil Herbert is the clear number one running back
Khalil Herbert received all of the carries when the Bear’s first-team offense was on the field. He ran the ball four times for 15 yards and had a long touchdown reception on a running back screen.
PJ Walker continues to struggle
PJ Walked has struggled recently in training camp, and Saturday didn’t help his stock. Walker completed four of his eight passes for a meager 19 yards and was the only Bears’ quarterback to throw an interception. His poor performance resulted in a quarterback rating of 16.7.
The HITS principle continues to bear fruit
The HITS principle stands for hustle, intensity, takeaways, and playing a smart and situational brand of football. The Bears succeeded in that on Saturday.
The very first play of the game was a blown coverage by the Bears’ secondary, but second-year cornerback Kyler Gordon hustled to make a big hit on Titans’ receiver Chris Moore. The ball came loose, but, unfortunately for the Bears, Moore was ruled down by contact.
The first turnover of the game was an interception by AJ Thomas. The pass from Malik Willis was high and went off the hands of rookie tight end Josh Whyle and into the hands of the Bears safety. Whyle continued to have a rough first outing when safety Adrian Colbert forced and recovered a fumble after the Titans tight end thought he had a first down.
The third turnover forced by the Bears’ defense happened near the end of the first half. Edge rusher Terrell Lewis got a strip sack on Willis. Rookie Zacch Pickens recovered the fumble.
The last turnover of the game was an interception thrown by rookie Will Levis. Undrafted rookie Bralen Trahan picked off Levis to seal a Bears victory.
During the game, Chicago was flagged for seven penalties, losing them 55 yards. One of those penalties was a late hit by rookie Tyrique Stevenson. But he shouldn’t have been penalized in the first place because the Titans receiver was still in bounds.
The Bears’ offense had a third-down conversion rate of 33.3% (4 for 12) and a fourth-down conversion rate of 100% (1 for 1).
The offensive and defensive lines have improved
The Bears’ offensive line gave up only two sacks in Saturday’s win. Quarterbacks Nathan Peterman and Tyson Bagent were each sacked once.
The Bears’ defense got to the quarterback eight times this weekend. Rookie seventh-round pick, Travis Bell, recorded half a sack. Trevis Gipson, Micah Baskerville, Noah Sewell, and Zacch Pickens each had one sack. Undrafted rookie Jalen Harris had 1.5 sacks, and Terrell Lewis led all teams with two sacks.
Cairo Santos’ job is safe
The Bears waived undrafted rookie kicker Andre Szmty on August 8th, solidifying Cairo Santos’ job as the Bears’ starting kicker. The 31-year-old veteran made both his extra-point attempts and all three of his field goals. Santos made field goals from 28, 29, and 49 yards.
The Chicago Bears will look to build on their first preseason performance when they visit the Indianapolis Colts on August 19th.
