The first week of the Chicago Bears’ preseason is officially in the books, and the Bears’ game against the Titans was a fun one.
Quarterback Justin Fields threw two touchdowns on only three passes thanks to the heroic efforts of wide receiver DJ Moore and running back Khalil Herbert. A perceived weakness suddenly became a strength as the defense racked up eight sacks, and Chicago came away with the win.
Players on every level of the depth chart came to play, and we’re going to go through every standout players from the Bears’ preseason win against the Titans.
QB Justin Fields
Quarterback Justin Fields had the stellar game we all hoped he would — just not in the way we expected.
QB1 stepped out onto the field after a long touchdown drive by a Malik Willis-led Titans offense and proceeded to throw a total of three passes. One was an easy warm-up throw to fullback Khari Blasingame out into the flat for a good 11 yards. His next two throws were touchdowns, and he barely threw the ball past the line of scrimmage.
Fields capped off the Bears opening drive by throwing a quick screen to receiver DJ Moore (who we’ll get to soon) who found a seam and sprinted down the left sideline for a 62-yard touchdown, causing Soldier Field to erupt in celebration.
DJ Moore + Justin Fields = six.
So ready for the regular season… pic.twitter.com/NgW8ELOa9q
— Bears Nation (@BearsNationCHI) August 12, 2023
The first-team offense wasn’t done giving Bears fans a taste for what’s to come in the regular season. The very next drive, Fields took the snap on third-and-long. Pressure came immediately, causing the star QB to roll to his left, where he found a wide-open Khalil Herbert (who we’ll talk about later) with nothing but daylight ahead of him.
Herbert scored on the long catch-and-run, and Fields ends his day going 3-of-3 for 129 yards, two touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating.
Though it is only preseason, the skill players making big plays early is a strong indicator that Fields will have help in elevating the offense this season.
CB Tyrique Stevenson
Tyrique Stevenson came into this game looking to get the upper hand in a competition for who will start opposite Jaylon Johnson and, in the fans’ eyes, he walked off the field with the role firmly in hand.
Stevenson had an impressive first outing with the Bears, finishing the game with one pass breakup and a team-high seven tackles, including one tackle for loss. The rookie cornerback’s impact could only really be measured by the eye test, however, as the defender truly embodied the Chicago Bear tradition of being tenacious and relentlessness on every snap.
Tyrique Stevenson is effective along the line of scrimmage. Love to see him getting lots of reps today pic.twitter.com/vYej8FcMlM
— Barroom Network (@BarroomNetwork) August 12, 2023
Players rarely lock up a starting spot following their first game, but Bears coaches will definitely remember Stevenson’s performance when deciding who will get the starting cornerback position.
WR DJ Moore
In our recent storylines to watch, we questioned whether the Fields-Moore one-two punch would be in full effect in their first live-action game. The duo did not disappoint.
Moore hauled in his first catch as a Bear on a wide receiver screen and quickly made the reception his first touchdown, racing past Titans defenders for a 62-yard score. How’s that for an obscure Bears trivia question in about 10 years?
Wow, DJ Moore 62 yards. Welcome to the #Bears pic.twitter.com/m4gBJpQYTU
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 12, 2023
The receiver only needed one play to establish what he will bring to the Bears offense in the regular season. The coaching staff may decide to strictly limit his snaps for the rest of the preseason in an effort to save his explosiveness for Week 1 and beyond.
DE Trevis Gipson
Defensive end Trevis Gipson answered the doubt cast upon him after he was listed as a third-stringer on the unofficial depth chart by being an absolute force of nature that the Titans had to endure Saturday.
Gipson tapped into that unfulfilled potential he flashed a couple of years back, racking up seven tackles, one sack and three QB hits. The defensive end generally played the role of disruptor against Tennessee, filling gaps to stop running plays and beating whatever tackle he’s lined up against in passing situations.
WATCH: Chicago #Brars DE Trevis Gipson gets home for a sack.
🎥 via @ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/taYhUbUOxS— Lukas Galecki-Shofroth (@TGNCoverage) August 12, 2023
It’s no secret that I have an irrational belief in Gipson; I even wagered he would have a breakout season and record at least 10 sacks this year in our bold predictions. Needless to say, it’s really nice to see Gipson have such a strong start to the preseason and mold a pathway for himself to be a productive member of the Bears’ defensive rotation.
RB Khalil Herbert
Khalil Herbert is slated to be the predominant running back in a backfield that aims to share the workload, and the runner proved against the Titans why he’s on top.
Herbert was the other skill player who made Field’s stat line look so good. Herbert followed up Moore’s incredible catch-and-run TD with his own, catching a short pass from Fields on third-and-long and immediately breaking free, following the blocks of the offensive line downfield, for a 56-yard statement score.
The third-year running back revealed a hilarious detail about the play in a postgame press conference, where he let slip that the Bears’ brass fine any player who breaks off a long run but is tackled inside the 5-yard line, giving Herbert a bit more of an incentive to fight through would-be tacklers.
KHALIL HERBERT HOUSE CALL 🔥
pic.twitter.com/Sl2a08DBjy— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) August 12, 2023
Herbert’s fellow running backs are still pushing for his starting spot, but game-breaking plays, such as the one Herbert made, are the reason he’ll run out with the starters on Sundays.
OT Darnell Wright
Darnell Wright is generally regarded to have had the best training camp of all the offensive lineman, and he was able to translate that success in practice to a successful game against the Titans.
As the age-old lineman saying goes, “If no one notices you, you’re doing a good job.” The rookie tackle generally held his own in pass protection, giving his quarterbacks time to progress through their reads. Where he really shined, however, was his run blocking, an attribute that went semi-viral on social media when a designed run involved Wright pulling like a guard, paving a roadway with tight end Cole Kmet that a truck could’ve drove through.
rookie Darnell Wright setting the edge pic.twitter.com/TYaVDpuI8Z
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) August 12, 2023
General manager Ryan Poles had hopes that Wright would be a plug-and-play franchise right tackle for Chicago, and Wright took his first steps in becoming just that.
CB Kyler Gordon
Kyler Gordon became a fan-favorite toward the end of last season for his improvements as a cornerback and his hard-hitting style; it’s safe to say he’ll keep that style in 2023.
The second-year corner set the tone on the game’s first play, laying the boom on a Titans’ receiver. Being that this is Chicago, the big hit got an ovation from the home crowd, and Gordon was happy to provide an encore.
Kyler Gordon I’d definitely not scared to lay a hit. Very uncommon trait for a CB. #DaBears #Bears #ChicagoBears
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) August 12, 2023
After Titans quarterback Malik Willis led the offense into the redzone, Willis looked to another receiver for a quick throw and catch. Gordon flashed onto the screen as soon as the ball was released, and he made certain it remained a quick throw only. As the pass-catcher attempted to corral the pass, Gordon lowered his shoulder and popped the receiver, causing the ball to flop harmlessly to the ground.
Kyler Gordon hit stick #2
Video credit @dave_bfr pic.twitter.com/u4Kvt3BsDy
— Bears Nation (@BearsNationCHI) August 12, 2023
Gordon made his presence known, a result of his new confidence as the Bears’ starting nickel cornerback.
OL Ja'Tyre Carter
You know, I think I have to disagree with the aforementioned lineman’s mantra. When it comes to Saturday’s game, the offensive line only stood out for good reasons.
I’m gonna sound like a broken record but Ja’Tyre Carter is playing extremely well today at RG
— Chicago Football Connection (@CFCBears) August 12, 2023
Like Wright, Ja’Tyre Carter did a solid job of holding off defenders on passing plays, but he really caught the fan’s attention on the big plays. Carter was praised for his awareness to stay active in the play that ended with Herbert’s TD, being one of the bodyguards the runner trusted to take him to the endzone.
While Carter isn’t currently a starter — he’s filling in for starting right guard Nate Davis — a good preseason could change his prospects, especially in a position as weak as the offensive line.
DT Zacch Pickens
With all praise being showered upon fellow rookie defensive tackle Gervon Dexter, fans were worried that maybe Zacch Pickens wasn’t as far along skill wise as his counterpart. The argument can now be made that the reality is the exact opposite following Saturday’s game.
In a game where the Bears’ defensive front tallied eight(!!!) sacks, Pickens was the one to get the party started. The rookie defender found himself being blocked by two Titans offensive linemen on a passing play early in the game; a situation Pickens took offense to. Pickens promptly split the double-team, setting him on a collision course with Titans quarterback Will Levis. Pickens sacked Levis, sending a jolt through the Bears defense.
Rookie Zacch Pickens shows his pass-rush skills with a huge sack on 3rd down. pic.twitter.com/KKcXhWr2CU
— Ben Devine (@Chicago_NFL) August 12, 2023
Pickens still has a ways to go, but he proved two things: he’s developing just fine as a player and being productive in his first game will boost his confidence.
DE Terrell Lewis
Pickens may have kicked off the sack party, but standout defensive end Terrell Lewis was the main attraction.
Lewis complemented Trevis Gipson’s constant pressure on his side with causing trouble on his own side, thrusting many Titans pass plays into chaos. Lewis recorded one tackle for loss and a team-high two sacks, with one QB hit resulting in a fumble that was recovered by the Bears. If you squint really hard and maybe tilt your head to the side, you can almost imagine that #52 on the edge as the great Khalil Mack.
Terrell Lewis with the strip sack! Nice play for a guy who’s had a great camp. #DaBears pic.twitter.com/QoZKoKompU
— Harrison Graham (@HGrahamNFL) August 12, 2023
Lewis is an underdog that many fans are rooting for, and his strong game on Saturday only helps his chances of making the roster.
RB Roschon Johnson
While Roschon Johnson didn’t make a jaw-dropping play like teammate Herbert, the rookie running back impressed in his debut.
The promise coming out of college was that Johnson was a powerful north-and-south runner who powers through arm tackles; the rookie upheld that promise. Johnson flashed his angry running style on his very first carry, patiently finding a gap and then stomping through it, furiously pushing off defenders and breaking off a big run.
They said Roschon Johnson was excellent at breaking tackles. Here’s his 1st carry in an NFL game. 😳😳
pic.twitter.com/0252QoSiJ9— Ben Devine (@Chicago_NFL) August 13, 2023
Though he had a very limited sample size, Poles drafted Johnson to be the other heavy-hitting ballcarrier beside Herbert. Fans got a glimpse of that ideology in Saturday’s game.
