The 2023 preseason started with a bang for the Chicago Bears, who defeated the Tennessee Titans 23-17 in a wild game at Soldier Field. It was an exciting start for both teams as three touchdowns were scored in the first four possessions.
Following a long opening drive by the Titans to go up 7-0, the Bears responded with not one, but two long touchdown catch and runs by the first-team offense to lead 14-7. Once the reserves took over, each team played hot potato with the football, committing a total of five turnovers in the second quarter.
In the second half, the Bears put the clamps down on the Titans offense. The defensive line gave Tennessee’s offensive line fits and the Bears offense did just enough to retake and hold onto the lead as time expired. Head coach Matt Eberflus remained perfect in the preseason and the Bears escaped with no major injuries.
Even though it was just a preseason game, there was plenty to learn from what the team did at Soldier Field. Here are our takeaways from Saturday’s victory.
1. The Bears first-team offense balled out
Seven plays, 144 yards, and two scores. That’s what the starting offense was able to accomplish on Saturday. Justin Fields wasn’t asked to do much but that’s okay. In just three passes, he helped ingratiate D.J. Moore to the Bears fanbase, showed off his elusiveness in the pocket before finding Khalil Herbert, and even got fullback Khari Blasingame involved in the passing game with a nice screen.
You can’t do any better than starting the game with two touchdowns on two possessions. Even in a preseason game, it’s encouraging to see, no matter how the points are scored. Would it have been nice to see Fields attempt one deep pass? Sure, but we shouldn’t complain that Moore or Herbert couldn’t get tackled to provide that opportunity. It was a great day for the starting offense overall.
2. It's a very small sample size
All of that being said, it’s important to remember they had just seven plays. Surely the Titans would have adjusted to the short passing game and forced Fields to throw it deep if this were a game that counted in the standings. There’s no way the Bears would have kept up that pace as the game wore on. In fact, their backups scored just three points the rest of the way.
At the same time, it’s okay to be excited and optimistic at what this revamped offense can do. On paper, it’s a major upgrade from 2022 and with the new playmakers around Fields, the quarterback doesn’t have to do it all like he did last year. Let’s just not overreact positively or negatively to what the offense did on Saturday. Again, they had seven snaps.
3. The offensive line held up enough
As training camp wore on, the level of concern surrounding the offensive line rose. With injuries and bad penalties popping up, it felt as if this game against the Titans would be a problem in the trenches. That turned out to be true, but not for the Bears. While the Titans allowed eight sacks (more on that in a bit), the Bears allowed just two with a loss of six yards total.
The starting offensive line showed their prowess for blocking downfield as players like Teven Jenkins, Ja’Tyre Carter, Cody Whitehair, and Braxton Jones moved well in space to lock up defenders on the two long touchdown catches. But even in the run game, Darnell Wright showed off his athleticism on an outside rush by Khalil Herbert. The starting big men were moving on Saturday.
As for the reserves, they weren’t as impactful but still had a solid day overall. Alex Leatherwood was the player who stood out the most at left guard. He saw the majority of snaps at the position and did a fine job of keeping the pocket clean and pushing defenders out of the way on running plays. As Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus points out, the Bears have allowed the fewest QB pressures of any team during the preseason up to this point.
Chicago Bears OL allowed the fewest QB pressures (3) among all teams from Week 1's preseason games so far
— Brad Spielberger, Esq. (@PFF_Brad) August 13, 2023
For as loud as the alarms were sounding earlier in the week, Saturday’s game was a nice reprieve. But they still need to get Nate Davis and Lucas Patrick healthy because that won’t always be the case.
4. The Bears reserve defensive front was menacing
Truth be told, it was a bit jarring to see Malik Willis slice and dice the first-team defense with little pressure up front. The Titans had their best drive of the day at the start of the game against the starting defensive line. That’s the bad news. The good news, however, is the rookies and younger players showed out as the game went on.
The Bears had eight sacks on the day, the most they’ve had in a preseason game since the 2018 Hall of Fame game, according to Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic. Trevis Gipson, Terrell Lewis, Travis Bell, Zacch Pickens, Jalen Harris, Noah Sewell, and Micah Baskerville all hit pay dirt on Saturday and kept the pressure mounting on nearly every play. Even players like Gervon Dexter who didn’t show up in the sack category still helped collapse the pocket to allow others to take down the quarterback. Willis and Levis had little time to operate.
It felt as if every time a sack was made, the energy from the rest of the players both on and off the field rose. That was especially apparent after Bell, a seventh-round rookie, combined for a sack with Harris.
Eight sacks on the day for the defense 😤
📺: #TENvsCHI on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/8QEOOSmMJv
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 12, 2023
Not all of these players are going to make the initial 53-man roster but quite a few will be in the defensive line rotation. Seeing performances like this will make it difficult on the coaching staff and should elevate the play of everyone in the room going forward.
5. Kyler Gordon played with more physicality
Cornerback Kyler Gordon was only on the field for a short time to start the game, but he made his presence known right away. The second-year cornerback laid two big hits on Titans receivers on the opening drive, one of which arguably caused a fumble that would have been a turnover.
On the first play from scrimmage, Willis found receiver Chris Moore for 30 yards before Gordon laid the hit stick on him. A few plays later, Willis went back to Moore where he hauled in the ball, but it was jostled loose by Gordon’s second hit for an incompletion. The Bears challenged the play but it was upheld.
Regardless of the result, Gordon’s new sense of physical play is a sight to see. He’s shown to be a sure-fire tackler throughout his rookie season but now he’s looking to do more and possibly create a turnover. Perhaps this is the revitalization of the “Peanut Punch” on the lakefront. Charles Tillman must be proud.
6. Tyrique Stevenson has a promising start
Another cornerback who looks to be turning heads is rookie Tyrique Stevenson. After a rough opening series in which Stevenson got turned around in coverage, the rookie out of Miami (FL) settled in and showed why the Bears are high on him.
Stevenson led the team with seven tackles, all of them solo with one for a loss, and also nearly had an interception off Levis when he jumped the route to breakup a pass. Stevenson showed a bit of everything with his coverage abilities and tackling skills in the run game. It was a great opportunity for him to get extended playing time as he was in the game the entire first half.
With fellow rookie Terell Smith out due to injury, it would appear Stevenson is well on his way towards winning the cornerback competition.
7. Velus Jones continues to squander his chances
There have been quite a few positive takeaways from this preseason game, but perhaps the most glaring issue that came out of Saturday’s win was the fact Velus Jones Jr. still cannot properly field a punt. After the coaching staff took away punt return duties midway through his rookie season, Jones got another shot and proceeded to fumble on his first opportunity. Just like he did last year. It would be Jones’ first and last return opportunity of the game as he was replaced by Tyler Scott.
While it’s curious the Bears would try Jones at punt return and not kick return where he actually excelled last year is one thing, but regardless, these mistakes cannot continue to happen. Dante Pettis should be back practicing this week and could retake that spot rather quickly. Would the Bears really keep a roster spot for Jones just at kick returner when he’s also way down on the receiving pecking order? He caught one pass for six yards on his lone target. Time is running out for him to validate his spot on the team and Saturday’s miscue did him no favors.
8. Trevis Gipson isn't going down without a fight
When it came to the performance of the Bears defensive line, no player stood out more than Trevis Gipson. The fourth-year edge rusher received a wake-up call last week when he was listed at the very bottom of the team’s unofficial depth chart and it seems he took that personally. Gipson provided constant pressure on Willis and Levis, totaling five tackles, one sack, and three QB hits. Though it’s only preseason, it’s worth noting Gipson hasn’t had a game with five tackles since Week 10 of the 2021 season.
This was a game Gipson desperately needed, even against backups. With new edge rushers DeMarcus Walker, Rasheem Green, Terrell Lewis, and Yannick Ngakoue coming into the fold, Gipson very well could be the odd man out when it’s all said and done. But if that’s the case, he’s not going down without a fight. Gipson is nearly two years removed from a stellar 2021 campaign where he had seven sacks and five forced fumbles. He’s out to show he can still be that player. Saturday’s game was a reminder of what he can do.
9. No kicking issues to worry about
In a bit of a surprise, the Bears opted to waive undrafted free agent Andre Szmyt earlier in the week, leaving Cairo Santos as the lone kicker on the roster. Santos was still the odds-on favorite to remain the team’s kicker but the Bears saw enough to not want to test it in the preseason. It seems they knew what they were doing because Santos had no issues with field goals or extra points at Soldier Field.
Santos converted both extra points and nailed all three field goal attempts, his longest one from 49 yards. The veteran kicker has been solid throughout his career, but stumbled last season when he missed five extra points. Given his cap hit of $4.5 million, there was speculation he could be on his way out. That’s definitely not the case and Santos thankfully looks back to normal.
10. This team competes no matter what
Four preseason games into the Matt Eberflus era, it’s abundantly clear that this team competes and plays hard no matter what. Last year’s competitive mantra might have felt like an aberration given it was his first year as a coach, but that’s the standard now into Year 2. These players fight and compete until the final whistle and it’s not only beneficial for the team, but it’s entertaining for fans.
When is the last time you remember a preseason game looking this competitive under a different regime? Matt Nagy’s Bears didn’t look like that in August and John Fox’s certainly didn’t either. It doesn’t matter if it’s a starter or a reserve fighting for a spot, everyone is bringing the same intensity. That’s built from the team culture and Eberflus has done a phenomenal job of instilling that in his players.
The wins still need to come in the regular season and no one is throwing a parade for an undefeated preseason record. But you have to be pleased with the fight this team shows week in and week out.
