Following their Week 1 win against the Tennessee Titans that saw no offensive touchdowns, the Chicago Bears had a better day on Sunday than what might’ve met the eye for most fans who tuned into the home opener at Soldier Field.
Caleb Williams and the offense failed to find the end zone aside from a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter, but that didn’t keep this team out of the win column.
Chicago Bears Defense, Offensive Line More Impressive on Stat Sheet
With the Bears sitting at 1-0 on the season, here’s what was uncovered when looking deeper at this win through TruMedia.
Bears’ Secondary Among League Best
Coming into this season, the Bears’ secondary was one of the aspects of this defense that many expected to be the stars of the show.
Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker, and Kevin Byard III come in as one of the stronger units across the league, and in Week 1, the numbers backed that up.
Now, Chicago wasn’t facing an air attack like the one in Buffalo, Kansas City, or Houston, but regardless, this secondary was one of the best in Week 1.
- Yards after the catch per reception: 2.6 (second fewest)
- Receiving yards per reception: 6.7 (third fewest)
- Receiving yards: 127 (third fewest)
- Opponent passer rating: 52.5 (fifth lowest)
Along with their nearly top-of-the-league stats this week, Johnson and Stevenson were two of the best defenders for Chicago, as both corners forced two incompletions each, tying for third across the NFL. Both corners also hauled in an interception each, with Stevenson bringing his back for the winning touchdown.
As Chicago’s task of stopping the pass continues next week against a strong Houston air attack, this group must remain one of the best in the league if their offensive woes continue into Week 2.
Pass Rush Featuring Unsuspecting Contributors
Along with their elite secondary play this week, the Bears’ pass rush was one of the more surprising wins from Sunday.
Montez Sweat entered the week as a limited participant through Thursday, joining practice fully on Friday before the game. However, it was apparent through the numbers that Sweat wasn’t the nucleus of this pass rush against Tennessee.
In fact, one of the top pass rushers this week for Chicago joined the team 16 days before their matchup. The Bears traded for the 27-year-old Darrell Taylor from Seattle a little more than two weeks before their game against Tennessee, and he immediately made an impact.
In his first start with a brand-new team, Taylor ranked tied for fourth across the entire league in sacks (2), with one of the sacks setting up Chicago for much-needed points.
Along with Taylor, second-year defensive end DeMarcus Walker had a game to remember. Walker’s first game of the season was one of his best, as far as the stats are concerned.
Among DEs, Walker finished Week 1 ranked:
- T-second in PFF QB hits (4)
- T-sixth PFF pressures (5)
- 12th PFF pressure % (15.6%)
So while Sweat couldn’t be the game-wrecker he normally is, Taylor and Walker picked up the slack, leading Chicago to a defensive win over Tennessee. As a unit overall, the Bears’ pass rush was the star of the show, and the numbers show it.
Per ESPN’s pass-rush win rate stat, Chicago ranked first in the league, winning 71% of pass blocks. Along with their league-leading win rate on pass blocks, Chicago allowed the fourth-fewest yards per pass attempt (4.0).
Chicago forced Titans QB Will Levis to throw quickly all day, and it showed on both the scoreboard and the stat sheet.
Offensive Line Play Better Than Expected
When watching, it appeared like the Bears’ offensive line played a really poor game. But when looking more into the numbers, it wasn’t as poor of a performance as it appeared.
Though there are reasons to be worried about this offensive line, there are bigger issues, especially when compared to the rest of the league this week.
Chicago’s OL problems stem from the interior. Coleman Shelton, Nate Davis/Ryan Bates, and Teven Jenkins are the worrisome members of the line. Darnell Wright and Braxton Jones have shown they’re higher-level NFL offensive tackles, leaving the interior as a work in progress.
Across the board, this offensive line ranked near the top 10 in Week 1, even with areas that require fine-tuning.
- Ninth-fewest PFF pressures allowed (9)
- Ninth-fewest PFF pressures allowed per dropback (27.3%)
- 12th-lowest sack % (6.5%)
And while it seemed as though Williams had pressure in his face all day, the stats don’t back that claim up as much. Williams is a rookie who made his first-ever NFL start on Sunday. His days will improve as he gets more comfortable, and if the offensive line can remain one of the top 10 units in the league, his development should continue on pace.