The Chicago Bears’ backups beat the Tennessee Titans’ backups last night, 24 to 15, and the NFL is done with the preseason games, so bring on Week 1 and the Carolina Panthers!
The Bears had more yards (398 to 259), more first downs (19 to 13), and led in time of possession (35:44 to 24:16). The Bears also converted 4 of 5 fourth-down attempts, while the Titans converted their only 4th-down try. Chicago was also better on third downs: 6-15 (40.0%) to 3-11 (27.3%).
The Bears were flagged 10 times for
71 yards to Tennessee’s 7 for 46 yards.
In his postgame press conference, head coach Ben Johnson said that running back Brittain Brown left the game with a concussion, and that cornerback Jaylon Jones and wideout Ray-Ray McCloud III had hamstring injuries. He also said that left tackle Ozzy Trapilo, who has yet to practice in full since being taken off the PUP list, is “right on track.” He also said that wide receiver Luther Burden III “looks 100% to me.”
Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times shared that before the game, starting corner Jaylon Johnson, “who left practice Thursday after appearing to hurt his right arm/shoulder, is doing rehab work in the end zone, throwing a heavy ball and using stretching bands.”
Running back Salvon Ahmed was kept out of the game with a minor injury, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
Before we get into some more numbers, here are all the Bears who did not play against the Titans.
And here is how the Bears started the day on both sides of the ball.
Here are the Bears’ playing time breakdowns and a few individual stats.
Offense
- Tyson Bagent played the entire first half, and he went 16 of 17 for 208 yards, 2 touchdowns, and a passer rating of 156.9, with 2 runs for 21 yards. He was credited with a fumble on a bad exchange with rookie Zavion Thomas on a jet sweep, but in his postgame presser, Thomas took full responsibility for it.
- Zavion had 5 catches for a game-high 140 yards, a 97-yard TD on the first play from the offense, plus a 39-yard kick return and a 22-yard punt return.
- Roschon Johnson led the Bears in rushing with 15 attempts, 52 yards, and a TD.
- Wideout Maurice Alexander led the Bears with 7 receptions for 50 yards and a TD. He also filled in at tailback when Brown left with a concussion, and he had 11 yards on 3 carries.
Defense
- Rookie linebacker Wayne Matthews III led the defense with 6 tackles.
- Linebacker T.J. Edwards, one of the few starters for the Bears who played, had 5 tackles.
- Defensive end Jamree Kromah had 3 tackles, a tackle for loss, and a sack.
- UDFA defensive tackle Jayden Loving had 2 tackles, 2 TFLs, a sack, a forced fumble, and a pass defended.
- Corner Terell Smith had 2 passes defended.
Special Teams
*The above image has players who only played in the third phase.
- Cairo Santos was 3 for 3 on extra points, and he hit his only field goal (from 37).
- Tory Taylor had 2 punts and a 56 average (56 net), with 1 punt inside the twenty.
- Linebacker Antonio Grier, who was just signed this week, had 3 special teams tackles plus 3 more on defense.
To check out the full Bears vs. Titans box score, ESPN has an easy-to-navigate site.
All statistics, snap counts, and accompanying pictures are taken directly from the NFL’s Game Statistics and Information System.
