With their 65th season of existence, the Tennessee Titans finally reached the age at which seniors are eligible to collect Social Security. They begin their 2024 by traveling to the Windy City to play the historic Bears franchise and their shiny new franchise passer. Chicago has revamped most of their roster to build around rookie superstar Caleb Williams. Can the Monsters of the Midway begin their journey to take back control of the NFC North? What will become of the hallowed and sanctified Soldier Field in a few seasons?
Music City Musings – Week 1: Tennessee Titans @ Chicago Bears
Bears Offense vs. Titans Defense
The headliner will be the first overall selection, but the Bears did an excellent job building the team around the anointed one. It was a slow and steady rebuild, but the coup de grace was the addition of Keenan Allen and first-round selection Rome Odunze. Those two will complement a newly enriched DJ Moore, who will undoubtedly play the role of WR1. If things break right, the Bears have all the tools to be competitive this season and potentially be a sleeper to win the NFC North.
OL vs. DL Matchups to Watch
Chicago returns most of their surprisingly good offensive line from last season, with only center being the new position. Left tackle Braxton Jones was a revelation as a rookie in 2022. He’s certainly a building block as the franchise blocker. The Bears invested a first-round pick in right tackle Darnell Wright in the 2023 draft, which was a wise investment. Right guard Nate Davis was a free agent signing from the Titans on a big bucks deal that has mostly lived up to the price tag. Teven Jenkins was a 2021 second-round pick who bounced from tackle to guard. It is a mixture of highly touted youngsters who will face off against the needy Titans’ defensive front. It will be interesting when the time comes for second contracts.
Tennessee has retooled the line around superstar defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Rookie big man T’Vondre Sweat joins from the University of Texas as he partners up with Simmons to provide some oomph to the pass rush as the EDGE depth is dire. Arden Key is, at best, a situational pass rusher, but he will garner most of the reps. He’ll likely go head-to-head with solid left tackle Braxton Jones. Harold Landry returns as a productive lead dog who can switch from tackle to tackle based on matchups. How does new DC Dennard Wilson deploy his linebackers to deal with the shortage of front-line defenders?
Skill-on-Skill Matchups to Watch
The Bears have reloaded on offense better to support their new heralded franchise passer, Caleb Williams. They signed veteran receiver Keenan Allen, drafted rookie Rome Odunze, and extended DJ Moore at significant cost. Those three will form the offense’s backbone, while tight end Cole Kmet will likely be another valuable piece. Chicago signed Gerald Everett to supplement Kmet. Former Lions/Eagles running back D’Andre Swift leads the room that consists of veteran backup Khalil Herbert and youngster Roschon Johnson. Velus Jones and DeAndre Carter are the backup receivers and provide a boost in the return game.
The Titans’ secondary was massively revamped and upgraded with the trade for L’Jaruis Sneed, the signing of Chidobe Awuzie, and the late additions of Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams. Amani Hooker and Roger McCreary are the lone returning starters. Tennessee made a couple of roster cutdown additions, with Julius Wood and Darrell Baker, Jr joining the franchise. Adams and Diggs are more known for their run-defense prowess than their pass-coverage abilities. It will be interesting to see how Sneed and Awuzie are used against Moore and Odunze. Who will draw the assignment to cover the tight ends and running backs out of the backfield? Kenneth Murray and Ernest Jones are known for their blitzing abilities, which are more than pass coverage, so Tennessee will have to compensate.
Titans Offense vs. Bears Defense
Tennessee redid the offense around their young passer, Will Levis, and will look to progress into the 21st century. Gone are franchise stars Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry; Levis is the full-time starter, and a pair of new full-timers are in the running back room. The receiver room also got a makeover, with two new significant faces to help DeAndre Hopkins. There were several new additions on the offensive line, also. Chicago boasts a fearsome defense from front to back that can strike at any time.
OL vs. DL Matchups to Watch
Tennessee churned through the offensive line, bringing in two new starters and elevating two role players to starting jobs around incumbent Peter Skoronski. Former Alabama lineman JC Latham was drafted in the first round and immediately anointed as the starter at left tackle. Lloyd Cushenberry was brought in for a sizeable four-year term to stabilize the position. The right guard was a sore spot as Dillon Radunz took over for the retired Saadhiq Charles. Nicholas Petit-Frere won the right tackle job over a hyped John Ojuwku. After years of neglect under previous staff, Brian Callahan brought in esteemed offensive line coach Bill Callahan to shape these men into a serviceable unit.
A daunting Bears front featuring emerging stars Gervon Dexter and Montez Sweat will line up against these new faces. Veteran DeMarcus Walker played for the Titans briefly before signing with the Bears during the 2023 offseason. Rookie Austin Booker was a talented EDGE rusher who showed off in the Senior Bowl before making an impact during the preseason and camp. He’s one to monitor for the future Monsters of the Midway trenches. It will be a stern test for the Tennessee tackles to gel quickly and face such ferocity.
Skill-on-Skill Matchups to Watch
Will Levis have several new weapons and a new passer-friendly playbook to help him progress in 2024. Calvin Ridley comes over from the Jaguars after he signed a gigantic deal that looks cheaper by the day for the position. Veteran third receiver Tyler Boyd signed up as the third receiver and Brian Callahan’s offense translator. Running back Tony Pollard joins as the co-starter alongside the dynamic sophomore Tyjae Spears. The venerated DeAndre Hopkins was injured early in training camp but has practiced some this week, so he will likely play a few reps. Treylon Burks is in an ideal situation where he doesn’t have to be WR1 and can learn from heady veterans. Chig Okonkwo and Josh Whyle return to lead the tight end room back to prominence. It will be interesting to see how the Titans compete against a talented back four.
With a monstrously talented secondary, Chicago will counter the rebuilt Titans’ offensive skill players. A secondary that features the likes of Kyler Gordon, the highly paid and successful Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, and Jaquan Brisker. Former Tennessee Titans great Kevin Byard still has some vengeance to impart to his former team after they unceremoniously traded him last season. Also adding to the Bears loaded secondary is Jonathan Owens, who has been a familiar face in Nashville for several seasons as he has played for multiple Titans’ opponents. He’s more famously known for being the husband of an Olympic legend and GOAT, Simone Biles. The Bears also feature a pair of highly-paid linebackers known for their tackling ability in T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds.
Weather Report
Sunday afternoon’s weather is projected to be a perfect season-opening contest near the lake, with a temperature of 73 degrees. However, the winds could be a factor, blowing at 14 miles per hour in a west-by-northwest direction. Humidity will be 38%. Chicago typically has a high temperature in the high 70s to middle 80s during September. There is no weather advantage for either side.
Odds and Ends
Since the turn of the century, the Bears and Titans have squared off on a metronomic and rhythmic Olympic cycle every four seasons. Since the 2004 season, Tennessee holds the series lead with a slim advantage of 3-2. The average scoring margin has been in the Bears’ favor, with the scoreline being 24.4 to 21.8. Discounting the 2012 blowout victory by the Bears, the average margin of victory has been 5.5 points.
Uniforms
According to the data courtesy of @TitansUni, the Titans were 1-2 last season when wearing white jerseys and light blue pants. Overall, they have a losing record when wearing this combo, with a record of 28-35.
Titans
🚨BRITCHES REPORT🚨: The @Titans will be decked out in white jerseys with light blue britches and navy socks in Sunday’s season opener at the @ChicagoBears. 👖 pic.twitter.com/bGxETuW5Ht
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) September 4, 2024
Bears
The Bears will wear their classic home navy blue jerseys and white pants.
Referee Crew
Shawn Smith is the referee for Sunday’s @Titans vs @ChicagoBears game. 🦓
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) September 2, 2024
Smith is a ten-year veteran of the NFL and is set to begin his eighth season as the head referee. Of the 17 crews, Smith’s staff has a veteran group that has served in the league for an average of 12.75 seasons. Smith’s crew was assigned to the Titans game twice last season, both home games. He called 15 penalties on the Titans in those two contests while calling 11 for the opposition. During the 2023 regular season, the home team received 1,109 yards in penalties, while the road team received 739 yards under his guidance.
According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, the home teams under his jurisdiction have only won 41% of the time in three seasons. In the same time frame, the hosts are 17-29-3 ATS under his watch. Perhaps this is a good omen for the road-weary Titans.
Betting
According to Caesars, the Bears are favored by 4.5 points with a money line of -105, while the Titans are +4.5 underdogs on the road with a money line of -115. Chicago is favored to win nine games, while Tennessee is projected to be favored in just one contest.
The total has been set at 44.5, with the money heavily favoring the Bears to go under the point total. Both sides have new pieces of offense around them, so chemistry might be an issue early and often. Hit the under, but tread cautiously, as both offenses can be explosive in the right circumstances.
Main Photo: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
