Thanks to an amazing effort from the defensive and special team’s units, the Chicago Bears improved to 1-0 on the season with a 24-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, September 8, at Soldier Field.
The Bears overcame a 17-point deficit versus the Titans on Sunday, which is tied for the fourth-largest comeback by the team since at least the 1970 NFL-AFL Merger.
According to the Bears, the team held Tennessee to three-of-14 on third down and registered three takeaways. Bears DL Daniel Hardy blocked a Tennessee punt, which was recovered by DB Jonathan Owens and returned for a touchdown, marking the first punt block returned for a touchdown by the Bears since 2014 (Corey Wootten, at Tennessee).
The team said Owens’ score marks the first punt block returned for a touchdown in a Bears season-opening game since 1993 (Myron Baker), as Hardy’s blocked punt was the first blocked punt by the Bears since Week 9 of 2012 (Sherrick McManis), the same play that Wootten returned for a touchdown.
On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker T.J. Edwards posted 15 tackles, including 10 solo stops, which tied a single-game career-high for the Bears defender. In his first game as a member of the Bears, DL Darrell Taylor totaled eight tackles (seven solo), as DB Jaquan Brisker added 10 tackles (five solo). DBs Tyrique Stevenson and Jaylon Johnson each registered an interception and led the game with two passes defensed each.
The Bears totaled one defensive touchdown, one special teams touchdown, a two-point conversion and three field goals in the victory. Defensively, DB Tyrique Stevenson registered his first-career interception returned for a touchdown, registering the first score of the like since LB Tremaine Edmunds returned an interception for a score in Week 15 of 2023.
Kicker Cairo Santos aided the winning effort with his three made field goals (24, 50 and 48 yards), as his 50-yard connection early in the fourth quarter to draw the game within one score. Santos registered his 14th career made field goal of 50- plus yards, moving into third place all-time in Bears history of 50-plus-yard made field goals.
DL Darrell Taylor registered eight tackles (seven solo), including two sacks, gaining acknowledgment as one of the best defensive performances by a Bears defender in their debut with the club.
Taylor’s two sacks are tied for the second-most by a Bears defender since the individual sack became an official statistic in 1984.
Wide receiver DeAndre Carter finished the game with 131 total return yards (67 kickoff, 64 punt), highlighted by his 60-plus yard kickoff return in the second quarter to set up Chicago’s first points of the game.
Final Score: Bears 24, Titans 17
With the victory, the Bears are now 1-0 on the season. The team will play their next game on Sund
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.