2024 Week 1 Preview: Bears vs. Titans

The NFL season is officially upon us, and the Chicago Bears are now practicing with their first opponent in mind: the Tennessee Titans. Back in March, this game looked like a layup for the Bears. They finished the 2023 season strong, nearly made the playoffs, and were set to add one of the most talented quarterbacks to ever enter the draft after trading away Justin Fields.

But the Titans have not sat idly this offseason. After finishing 2023 with just 6 wins, they made some big changes, starting with the head coach. They fired Mike Vrabel, the 2021 Coach of the Year, and hired Brian Callahan, the offensive coordinator for the high-octane Cincinnati Bengals. Then, they hired Bill Canahan, Brian’s father, to coach the offensive line, one of Tennessee’s weakest position groups in 2023.

Not the same old Titans

Big changes were made across the board on the roster, mostly for the better. They lost long-time fan favorite Derrick Henry to free agency. They signed Tony Pollard from Dallas, and he should be good, but there’s no denying that the ground game will be slightly worse off without “King Henry.”

That’s the only downgrade Tennessee made this offseason, though.

As far as improvements go, let’s start at wide receiver. The Titans signed Tyler Boyd from Cincinnati and also snagged Calvin Ridley from their division rival, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Including DeAndre Hopkins, who put up over 1,000 yards last year in his first season with Tennessee, the Titans have one of the best receiver rooms in the NFL.

On the offensive line, they signed Lloyd Cushenberry, one of the best Centers in the league, and drafted JC Latham, a promising offensive tackle, in the first round. They also added to the defensive trenches, drafting T’Vondre Sweat out of Texas, a monster of a defensive tackle, to pair with two-time Pro Bowler Justin Simmons.

In the secondary, the Titans won the L’Jarius Sneed sweepstakes, bringing a Super Bowl-winning cornerback into the fold. They also signed safeties Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams, both from the Seahawks. But the cherry on top came just last week as the Titans traded with the LA Rams for stud linebacker Ernest Jones.

Question marks that could hold the Titans back

The Titans have improved across the board, dramatically in some cases. However, there are two question marks heading into the season: defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson and quarterback Will Levis. This is Wilson’s first gig as a playcalling defensive coordinator, his former experiences in the NFL being strictly as the defensive backs coach (he was also the pass game coordinator for two seasons with the Jets and once with the Eagles).

How will Wilson perform in his new role? That’s difficult to say. He has a lot of talent to work with, but right off the bat, he’s going up against arguably the best trio of receivers in the NFL: DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and rookie Rome Odunze. He might have some tricks to throw off quarterback Caleb Williams, but the rookie has plenty of help around him to bail him out of trouble. Wilson could be in for a harsh debut on the road against a team with as many playmakers as Chicago.

Will Levis is the other wild card in this game. The second-year player had a terrific debut last season, throwing for 238 yards and four touchdowns in his first NFL start, but struggled for the rest of the year. He completed just 58% of his passes all year and, after that debut performance, threw just four touchdowns to four interceptions the rest of the way.

Will Brian Callahan be able to work his magic and make Levis a franchise quarterback? We will soon find out.

The Chicago Bears need to bring their A-game

As I mentioned earlier, back in March, this game would have looked like an easy win for Chicago. Now, it doesn’t seem so certain after all the changes Tennessee has made. The Bears are the slight favorites, but just as the 2024 Bears are not the 2023 Bears, the same goes for the Titans. This defense has the talent to give a rookie quarterback in his NFL debut absolute fits. The offense should have enough horsepower to help a second-year quarterback play well enough to win, too.

As is the case for every other offseason narrative about the Bears, this first game of the 2024 season will likely hinge on whether Caleb Williams lives up to the hype right away. If he does, then the Bears should, in fact, cruise to victory. If he struggles? The post-game narratives could get ugly really quickly.