Can anyone find Jeffrey Simmons? Where's the trash talk? On second thought, don't bother; he's got nothing to say. Instead, talk to Caleb Williams and the Bears defense.
Despite not scoring a single offensive touchdown, Williams and the men in navy and orange overcame a 17-0 deficit to send Simmons and friends back home with a 24-17 deficit. 1-0 is a good start, but let's not kid ourselves. The Bears offense was poor and pathetic.
Williams did little with the offense, and that's not a good look for a team aiming for a playoff berth after struggling with a 10-24 record over the last two seasons. Still, the former Trojan is the first quarterback selected first overall in the previous draft to win his debut start since David Carr, who led the Houston Texans to a victory over Dallas in 2002. Keep in mind that Houston, at the time, was an expansion team.
The Chicago Bears were fortunate to escape the Tennessee Titans to give Caleb Williams a Game One victory, but how long can this luck last?
In fairness to him, Williams did not turn it over a single time. He did not have any fumbles or interceptions, so he gets a passing grade, but barely. Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner went 14/29 for 93 yards and was sacked twice, including one for a 19-yard loss. In other words, his stats were downright pathetic, but he won the game, so we can't grill him. However, it was a pure Rex Grossman-level performance without the turnovers. That's got to bother Simmons, as his defense went wild but still couldn't hold down the fort.
As for the Titans, new head coach Brian Callahan did his best Bill Callahan Super Bowl XXXVII impression during the second half. In case anyone can't piece two and two together, that is a son and father connection; coincidentally, they are on the same staff, with Dad coaching the offensive line. Despite a solid running game in the first half that led to the 17-0, Tennessee didn't commit long enough to the running game, or rather, they ran out of music to play.
Caleb Williams got away with this one, but one thing's for sure. He got the last laugh on Jeffrey Simmons. The trash talk may have affected the personal stats, but the scoreboard is what matters. Bears win the game, and Titans lose. Maybe, just maybe, Simmons will learn a lesson about being humble. Probably not. Williams got this one, but he had a lot of help along the way.