Early 2024 NFL picks, score predictions for Week 1 games

Tennessee Titans @ Chicago Bears

Sunday

The long-awaited debut of #1 overall pick Caleb Williams will happen in Week 1 for Chicago Bears fans, in the Windy City. The Bears will be playing host to the Tennessee Titans in a matchup between two teams who finished among the 10 worst (record-wise) last season.

But both of these teams have a chance to bounce back in a big way in 2024.

The Bears not only landed Caleb Williams, but they brought in both Keenan Allen (via trade with the Chargers) and Rome Odunze (9th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft) to join the likes of DJ Moore, Cole Kmet, and D'Andre Swift (free agent pickup) in a vastly improved offensive weapon arsenal.

The Bears' biggest improvements, however, might be defensively where we saw the addition of Montez Sweat pay off in a big way down the stretch last season. Will Levis of the Titans is going to have his hands full with Sweat coming off the edge, but he's got a new tackle to protect him (1st-round pick JC Latham) and a bunch of weapons to spread the ball to.

The Titans went out and stole Calvin Ridley from the Jaguars this offseason and then added Tyler Boyd after the 2024 NFL Draft. They've got Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears leading the charge at running back after the departure of Derrick Henry. And they may have made the most underrated move of the offseason by trading for cornerback L'Jarius Sneed with the Chiefs.

I don't know if any of that will be able to spoil Caleb Williams' debut, however.

Prediction: Bears win 27-20