Stock up, Stock down after Bears win over Titans |
CHICAGO - After Chicago’s first game of the season in their opening 24-17 comeback victory against the Tennessee Titans, fans learned a bit about how the Bears offense is going to look throughout this season, including a first look at rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.
Caleb Williams - Stock Up Having 14 complete passes for 93 yards and a 55.7 quarterback rating is probably not what fans wanted out of Williams. The Heisman winner frequently put up ridiculous numbers in college, including a win against UCLA where he had 470 passing yards and two touchdowns with a 176.9 quarterback rating. Were fans expecting to get that in Williams’ first NFL start? No. But, realistically, he could have been expected to go over 200 passing yards and maybe have a touchdown. Despite how the numbers look, his stock is up. A few pivotal things about this game cannot be overlooked. First, he did not turn the ball over. Williams did not throw an interception and frequently threw the ball away instead of trying to force a play downfield like most rookies. The two sacks in the opener were not a result of him holding onto the ball too long. Instead, the Titans quickly got into the backfield, and that was a theme throughout the entire game. He also had a few passes that were right on the money but either dropped or broken up by Tennessee’s secondary. The offense needs to score more points and a touchdown when it faces the Houston Texans on Sunday, Sept. 15 (7:20 p.m. / NBC.) Williams showed many positive signs that should not be overlooked by how the Tennessee defense disrupted the offense. Offensive Line - Stock Down The offensive line was supposed to be much improved with multiple new players, including Ryan Bates, for whom they traded a fifth-round draft pick and signed Coleman Shelton in free agency. Chicago only had 84 rushing yards in their win against the Titans, which was the second game in a row (going back to last season). The Bears have had less than 100 rushing yards in a game. Williams frequently had to throw the ball away because of the pressure in the backfield. If this continues against the Texans, Chicago’s defense may not be able to save them this time. They are facing a better offense with quarterback C.J. Stroud and receivers Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and Stefon Diggs. Darrell Taylor - Stock Up Coming out of training camp, Chicago recognized the need for another pass rusher and thus traded for Darrell Taylor. He did not disappoint in his debut as a Chicago Bear with a career-high seven solo tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble that ultimately resulted in a Chicago field goal. The Bears seemed to have found a key part of their defense they were lacking last season - a pass rusher opposite of edge rusher Montez Sweat. Having two dominant players on the defensive line has already proved beneficial as the pressure from the line is what led to the cornerback Tyrique Stevenson getting the first pick-six of his young career; that play gave Chicago the lead in the fourth quarter. Taylor should continue positively impacting Chicago’s defensive line this season and open up opportunities for other players like Sweat. D’Andre Swift - Stock Down When you play $8 million a year for a running back, you want him to have more than 30 rushing yards in his debut; 20 came on one carry. That means if you take away his 20-yard run, he averaged 1.11 yards per carry on his other nine carries. Particularly with a rookie quarterback under center, the running back has to be able to help the offense by getting some yards on the ground, and that did not happen against Tennessee. However, while his stock is down, Swift still has an opportunity to turn things around. The Houston Texans may have a stingy defense, only allowing 104 rushing yards to the Indianapolis Colts in their opening victory. Still, Swift averages 4.6 yards per attempt throughout his career and should have at least ten carries against the Texans when the Bears play them this coming Sunday (7:20 p.m. / NBC). DeAndre Carter - Stock Up Chicago has found their kick returner and punt returner. Carter averaged 12.8 yards per punt return and had a 67-yard kick return. This play in the kick-returning game set up Chicago for success on multiple drives as they started with ideal field position. He most likely already had the punt returner job, but after Velus Jones Jr. lost a fumble on a kick return, Carter also took over there, which should continue throughout the season. Carter proved to be a dynamic player who can help the Bears have a great field position.
