The Titans and Bears both entered Sunday’s game looking to bounce back from recent losses.
Throughout the season, you can count on us to have threads like this one, which will be updated frequently during each and every game.
Let’s get ready for some football!
Full Recap
Kickoff —
The Bears won the toss and elected to defer. The Titans started with the ball. It wasn’t the start the Titans were hoping for, going three-and-out with two incomplete passes. New punter Ryan Allen booted it away, with Chicago taking over at their own 25 yard line.
The Bears moved the ball quickly through the air into Titans territory. On 3rd and 5 from the TEN 38, Nick Foles hit Allen Robinson underneath, who ran out of bounds a yard short of the sticks. The Bears went for it on fourth-and-one, and Jayon Brown and Jack Crawford stuffed David Montomery for no gain.
It was another three-and-out for the Titans with the same pattern: incomplete pass from Ryan Tannehill, short run by Derrick Henry, incomplete pass from Tannehill. Titans punted again.
The Titans defense forced a three-and-out of their own, with Harold Landry pressuring Foles into a throwaway on third-and-five. The Bears punted for the first time, and Kalif Raymond ripped off a nice return of 16 yards to set the Titans up beyond their own 20-yard line at the 22.
The Titans picked up their first first down after three straight hand-offs, two to Henry and a third-down carry by Jeremy McNichols. Then Tannehill found A.J. Brown over the middle off play action, who slipped a tackle and carried the ball inside the Chicago 30 yard line. The drive would stall on a tightly contested pass breakup intended for Anthony Firkser. With a new long-snapper, Matt Overton, and a new holder, the punter Allen, Stephen Gostkowski’s kick sailed through the uprights. Titans gained an early 3-0 lead.
On the Bears next possession, the Titans defense continued their strong play, with Daquan Jones taking down Montgomery in the backfield. On third and five, newly acquired Desmond King was in coverage against Anthony Miller, forcing an incompletion and another Chicago punt.
The teams traded three and outs again, with Tannehill taking a sack and the Titans defense responding with a stop. The net result had the Titans starting their next drive with great field position at their own 47 yard line. The first quarter ended on a second-and-ten Henry run for no gain.
End 1Q — Titans 3, Bears 0
The second quarter opened with Tannehill taking his second sack, and the Titans punted again. Malcolm Butler, shadowing Robinson, broke up his second pass of the day before King forced another incompletion against Miller on third down. The Bears faked a punt on fourth down, converting on a run by outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo. But the Titans forced a punt three plays later.
The Titans offense finally put together a drive. After a string of handoffs, Tannehill converted a third and six to Brown. Tennessee crossed midfield on a third down completion to Firkser, and a couple plays later, Tannehill dropped a beautiful bomb to Brown over double coverage — a perfect pass — which Brown extended for a 40-yard touchdown. Titans took a 10-0 lead on a 91-yard drive.
On the ensuing Chicago possession, the Tennessee defense managed a rare achievement: they sacked the opposing quarterback. Chicago punted after a short gain on third and 18.
Tennessee had a chance for a two-minute drive, but Tannehill was sacked on second down at the two-yard line, and the Titans played it safe on third down with a short hand-off. The Titans punted again, this time with Allen standing at the back of his own end zone. Cordarrelle Patterson returned the 65-yard punt 20 yards to the Titans 48 with under a minute remaining in the half. A couple penalties on Chicago set them back, and time expired without much action.
End 1H — Titans 10, Bears 0
To open the second half, the Bears hit a 34-yard shot to Miller, their longest play of the day. The Titans forced the Bears into a fourth and one shortly after, and back-to-back false starts against Chicago took the offense off the field and led to another punt. The Titans picked up a first down on the ground, but then the drive stalled after back-to-back incompletions and Tennessee punted it right back.
The Bears put together a bit of a drive with some big completions to Robinson and Darnell Mooney. After crossing midfield, the defense tightened up, with Landry getting to Foles once for a sack and again to force intentional grounding. On third and 13, the Bears tried a screen, which was sniffed out by Jeffery Simmons. Simmons stripped the ball free from Montgomery, and the newcomer King scooped up the ball and returned it 63 yards for the Titans score. Titans extended their lead to 17-0.
The Bears again began driving, with Foles finding Robinson a few times and Montgomery picking up five yards at a time. The third quarter came to a close with the Bears threatening, facing a first and ten in the red zone.
End 3Q — Titans 17, Bears 0
The Bears moved even closer into scoring position, but on third and goal, the ball was tipped at the line by Landry and Simmons made a diving attempt to intercept the ball, but he couldn’t haul it in. The Bears finally got on the scoreboard with a 22-yard field goal by former Titans kicker Cairo Santos. Bears shaved a few points off the Titans lead, trailing 17-3.
Tennessee quickly responded. Henry broke through a tackle for a 26-yard run, then Tannehill hit short passes to Brown and Firkser. Finally, Jonnu Smith made his first grab and took it 30 yards all the way to the two yard line. Tannehill hit him again for a touchdown in the flat on the next play. In eight plays over 4:20, the Titans built on their lead, 24-3, with 8:10 remaining.
Chicago wasn’t out of it yet. Foles led a drive downfield, keyed by a downfield pass to Robinson and another to Miller a few plays later. A facemask penalty by Kevin Byard put the ball at the Titans’ six yard line, and Foles hit reserve running back Ryan Nall in the flat for a touchdown, making it 24-10.
The Titans ran it a couple times and completed a pass in the backfield to run off some clock before punting it back with just over four minutes remaining. The Titans defense came up with a huge play on the Bears next snap, with Brown stripping the ball from Miller. Simmons pounced on it and the Titans regained possession with 3:46 to go.
The Titans ran the ball three times in a row with D’Onta Foreman and McNichols, winding the clock to 2:08 before punting it back to Chicago for a garbage time drive. The defense played soft, allowing the Bears to quickly dink and dunk down the field. A pair of unnecessary roughness penalties aided 30 yards, and on first and goal from the eight, Foles hit Jimmy Graham in the end zone to make it 24-17.
The Bears onside kick try was unsuccessful, and Tannehill kneeled out the game. Titans snap their two-game losing streak and send Chicago home with a loss.
FINAL — Titans 24, Bears 17
More updates to come…
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They should play Long at MLB and Evans on the edge opposite Landry. Rotate in Roberson.
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