The Chicago Bears finished their preseason with a strong 24-15 win against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night. They scored a touchdown in each of the first three quarters, including a 97-yard touchdown from Tyson Bagent to Zavion Thomas on their first play of the game.
Chicago’s first long drive for a touchdown was in the second quarter when Bagent led the Bears on a 16-play, 69-yard touchdown drive that included three fourth-down conversions including on the two-yard touchdown pass from Bagent to wide receiver Maurice Alexander.
Scoring was limited for the Bears in the second half when Bagent was not the quarterback although third-string quarterback Case Keenum still had a decent showing and led a seven-play 38-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter.
Here is a look at our studs and duds from Chicago’s win in the preseason finale against the Titans, including rookie wide receiver Zavion Thomas’ breakout performance and the offensive line’s struggles with penalties.
Stud: WR Zavion Thomas
On the first offensive play of the game for the Bears, it was clear this was going to be a breakout performance for rookie Zavion Thomas. His 97-yard touchdown was arguably the most electric play of the preseason and he did not stop there. Ultimately, he finished the game with a 100 percent completion percentage with five receptions for 140 yards and the touchdown as well as a 39-yard kick return and a 22-yard punt return. This performance should definitely earn him more first-team reps and regular season action.
ZAVION THOMAS GOES 96 YARDS TO THE HOUSE
— NFL (@NFL) August 29, 2026
CHIvsTEN on @NFLNetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/QFwDrGQOpk
Zavion Thomas continues to show off his speed
— NFL (@NFL) August 29, 2026
CHIvsTEN on @NFLNetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/VqDTx4u78z
Dud: Offensive Line
Tennessee only had three sacks, so protection was not the main issue. The problem with the offensive line was the high amount of penalties and it was not specific to one player. Luke Newman started the trend, but multiple other offensive linemen for the Bears were called for penalties after him. Especially after Chicago’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, decreasing the penalties was supposed to be a point of emphasis. However, the offensive line did not seem to get the message in this game.
Stud: CB Terell Smith
Terell Smith may not have recorded a single tackle, but he left an impression on the Tennessee Titans with two pass breakups. He is currently fighting for a roster spot and this performance should help his case. However, he may not be able to overcome the injury concerns including last season when he missed the entire year due to an injury he suffered in the preseason.
Dud: RB Brittain Brown
Chicago went into training camp with a battle for the RB3 spot on the roster between Salvon Ahmed and Roschon Johnson. Ahmed did not play in the preseason finale and Johnson got most of the carries. However, Brown had opportunities to make an impression on the Bears coaching staff with six carries but only mustered 11 yards. He is most likely someone that will not make the roster.
Stud: QB Tyson Bagent
For a second, I thought Caleb Williams was on the field. Bagent started the game with the pass to Thomas that he took to the house for a 97-yard touchdown, but he made numerous other plays that turned heads. The play from Bagent that stood out the most was on fourth and goal when he evaded multiple Tennessee defenders to find wide receiver Maurice Alexander in the back of the endzone for the score. Bagent was on fire the entire first half, completing his first nine attempts and finishing the game with 16 completions on 17 attempts for 208 yards and two touchdowns. He added another 21 yards on the ground.
Tyson Bagent ➡️ Maurice Alexander
— NFL+ (@NFLPlus) August 29, 2026
This 2-yard TD traveled an air distance of 25.8 yards, per @NextGenStats
CHIvsTEN on @NFLNetwork
Stream on NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/ckx6cfOsis
Dud: QB Miller Moss
Undrafted rookie quarterback Miller Moss had an uphill battle to make the roster anyway, but his performance throughout the preseason, including the finale, did not help matters. While he had a nice 15-yard scramble, he only completed one pass for 12 yards with a quarterback rating of 68.8. Moss will be among the players Chicago cuts, but maybe he will find himself on a practice squad somewhere.
Stud: WR Maurice Alexander
With how well Zavion Thomas did, it was easy to miss how fellow receiver Maurice Alexander performed. Alexander also caught all of his targets, finishing the game with seven receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown. Alexander is battling to make the roster in Chicago’s packed wide receiver room, but he may have made a case for himself in this game.
Dud: CB Marlen Sewell
There is nothing I cannot stand watching from a player in the secondary like missed tackles. He had multiple missed tackles throughout the game including on Tennessee’s only touchdown. In addition, he also had a bad performance against the Cincinnati Bengals last week. It was not incredibly likely he would make the roster anyway, but he probably sealed his fate with this game.
Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Studs and duds from Bears’ preseason finale win vs. Titans
