The Chicago Bears opened the preseason with a 23-17 win over the Tennessee Titans, which featured a dominant performance by Chicago’s defense.
The Bears held the Titans scoreless in the second half and totaled four takeaways, including a pair of interceptions and two fumble recoveries. But it was their ability to pressure the quarterbacks that was noteworthy.
Chicago’s defense mustered eight sacks in the victory, including multi-sack performances by defensive end Terrell Lewis (2.0) and rookie defensive end Jalen Harris (1.5). By contrast, the Bears totaled 20 as a unit in 17 regular season games last season.
Head coach Matt Eberflus was pleased with the defense’s performance and ability to get after the quarterback.
“Defensively, I thought we attacked the football well,” Eberflus said after the game. “I thought we really rushed the passer better than we had, so you can see some improvements there. We’re excited about that.”
The last time the Bears totaled eight-plus sacks in a preseason game was on Aug. 2, 2018, in their Hall of Fame Game loss to the Baltimore Ravens, 17-16.
