Caleb Williams struggles in his debut but is rescued by the Bears' defense in a 24-17 victory over the Titans.

CHICAGO — This wasn’t the debut Caleb Williams had hoped for, but thankfully, his defense stepped up just enough.

Tyrique Stevenson returned an interception 43 yards for the go-ahead touchdown, highlighting a defensive performance that rescued Williams as the Chicago Bears defeated the Tennessee Titans 24-17 on Sunday.

The Bears, aiming for a playoff spot after a dismal 10-24 record over the last two seasons, came back from a 17-0 first-half deficit without a touchdown from their revamped offense. They dominated the Titans in the second half, thwarting Tennessee's new head coach, Brian Callahan, in his debut.

“It was a frustrating game,” Williams acknowledged. “But the important thing is it showed a lot about our team’s character—our fight and resilience.”

Tennessee had its own frustrations. Although the Titans managed to contain Chicago's offense, they surrendered 17 points off turnovers.

“It was a strong defensive effort,” Callahan remarked. “They executed well and made things tough for us. Unfortunately, we gave them points.”

Williams, the No. 1 overall pick, completed 14 of 29 passes for 93 yards, finishing with a passer rating of 55.7. Despite his struggles, he became the first quarterback drafted first overall to win in his initial start since David Carr in 2002. The previous 15 No. 1 picks had a combined record of 0-14-1 in their first starts, dating back to Carson Palmer in 2003.

The Bears narrowed the gap to 17-16 with a field goal from Cairo Santos before Stevenson put Chicago ahead midway through the fourth quarter. Under pressure from DeMarcus Walker, Will Levis threw a desperate pass that Stevenson intercepted, running untouched down the sideline for his first career touchdown. A successful 2-point conversion from Williams to D’Andre Swift extended the lead to 24-17.

Jaylon Johnson sealed the victory with just over a minute remaining, intercepting a fourth-down pass intended for Tyler Boyd at the Tennessee 40, giving the frustrated fans something to cheer about after a largely quiet afternoon.

Historically, teams that have scored zero touchdowns while trailing by 17 or more points are 3-1,225 in the Super Bowl era. Chicago’s victories include one in 2006 against Arizona, and another by Kansas City in 2016 against Carolina.

“It’s an incredible team, full of fighters,” Stevenson stated. “Eventually, it’s going to be our turn to help them. It is what it is. We got the win, and I’m proud of the guys.”

With Williams struggling with his accuracy, Chicago's talented receiving corps was largely ineffective. DJ Moore recorded five receptions for 36 yards, Keenan Allen had 29 yards in his Bears debut, and rookie Rome Odunze managed just one catch for 11 yards.

Chicago finished with a mere 148 yards of offense, scoring their only other touchdown on special teams. Daniel Hardy blocked a punt in the third quarter, which Jonathan Owens recovered and returned 21 yards for a score, bringing the Bears within 17-10.

Owens' play elicited a roar from the crowd and delighted his wife, star gymnast Simone Biles, who humorously responded “I ALMOST HAD A HEART ATTACK” to a post about the moment. Owens, who had previously played for Green Bay, scored his first touchdown as a Bear just weeks after stepping away from training camp to support Biles during her pursuit of more Olympic medals in Paris.

“It felt amazing,” Owens said. “Returning to the sideline and seeing all the guys excited for you and feeling the energy from the stadium—it felt unreal.”

Santos trimmed the deficit to 17-13 early in the fourth quarter with a 50-yard field goal. The Bears then seized a crucial opportunity when Darrell Taylor strip-sacked Levis, and T.J. Edwards recovered at the Tennessee 31, but they settled for another field goal, bringing the score to a one-point game.

Titans Struggles

Levis completed 19 of 32 passes for 127 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions in his second season. Meanwhile, Tony Pollard rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown for Tennessee.

“We just have to be better,” Levis admitted. “That’s not how we play. The first half was a winning performance; the second half can lose you games. It was just not good overall.”

Injuries

Callahan confirmed that the Titans did not suffer any major injuries. Right guard Dillon Radunz (ribs) was hurt while blocking on a pass play early in the third quarter but returned to the game.