CHICAGO – The Titans lost 24-17 to the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field.
Here's a look at six things that stood out from the contest:
Will Levis Miscues
Titans quarterback Will Levis beat himself up after his three-turnover game. Levis was intercepted twice, including one that was returned for a touchdown, and he also lost a fumble after getting sacked. Levis was critical of himself, calling his pick-6 the result of a "bonehead play," and one of the many things he can learn from in the game. "It's tough," Levis said. "I can't remember a loss in my career where I feel like I blatantly handed it over to them, and I have to deal with that." Levis finished the contest 19-of-32 for 127 yards and a touchdown, with the two picks, and a passer rating of 52.5.
Defense, Defense, Defense
The Titans played well enough on defense to win it. The Bears managed just 11 first downs and 148 yards of offense in the contest. The Titans held the Bears when they got the ball on short fields, and they forced a number of three-and-outs. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was just 14-of-29 for 93 yards, and he was under pressure. About the only thing the Titans didn't do well on defense was cause turnovers, like the Bears did. "It's frustrating to lose, but I am motivated," defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons said. "The way we played on defense is what we expected. Our message was to make them earn their stripes, and they did. They scored a total of 11 points – three field goals (and two extra points). We played lights out on defense, and did a hell of a job. It's something we can build off of."
Special Teams
There was some good and bad here. Kicker Nick Folk made his only field goal attempt, and punter Ryan Stonehouse averaged 53.6 yards per punt. Running back Julius Chestnut recovered a fumble on special teams when the Bears muffed the kick. But there was a costly turn in the game when the Titans gave up a blocked punt that was returned for a Bears touchdown. "When you give up a blocked punt in the game for a touchdown – I don't know what the stats exactly are, but it certainly puts you in a tough spot to win the game when you give up a special teams touchdown," Coach Brian Callahan said. "It wasn't a crazy rush, it wasn't schematic. We just got beat. We got pushed back. I'm disappointed we gave that up in that spot."
Third-Down Woes
The Titans couldn't keep drives alive because they couldn't convert third downs. The Titans finished just 3-of-14 on third down (21.4 percent). Part of the problem is the team picked up penalties and negative plays on offense, which put them in long down-and-distance situations. "We couldn't get any rhythm going," Callahan said. "Every time I looked up I felt like it was 2nd and 9 or 3rd and 8 or 3rd and 10. There was no rhythm on offense at all – I couldn't get any rhythm calling plays because of the spots we were in. It was a struggle in the second half in that regard. … We couldn't get into manageable down and distances, and when we did, we couldn't do anything with it."
Tony Pollard
Running back Tony Pollard had success early, running for 64 yards on nine carries in the first half. Pollard scored on a 26-yard touchdown to give the Titans the early lead, racking up 54 yards on a 79-yard drive. But Pollard and the running game didn't have the same success in the second half. Pollard ran for 82 yards on 16 carries in the contest, managing just 18 yards on seven carries in the second half. On the day, the Titans averaged 5.4 yards per carry, but that includes 36 rushing yards on four carries (9.0 average) on runs by Levis.
Down, But Still Optimistic
It was a disappointed group in the locker room at Soldier Field on a day when the Titans felt like they gave the game away with mistakes, and turnovers. Across the board, players did their best to encourage teammates, and turn the attention to Week 2. "I told Will when I came back in the locker room: Keep your head up," edge Arden Key said. "He is still young, and he made a young (player's) mistake. But other than that he can learn from it, and keep going. It was four plays that we messed up all around. If we get those four plays out, we would have come out with a win."
