DEFENSE LINE: A

On a day when the offense was poor, the line led a yeoman’s effort to keep the Bears in the game and give them the lead. DeMarcus Walker had four quarterback hits, including a near sack that forced Titans quarterback Will Levis into a desperation flip that cornerback Tyrique Stevenson intercepted and returned 43 yards for a touchdown to give the Bears a 24-17 lead. Darrell Taylor had two sacks, including a strip sack by Levis that linebacker TJ Edwards retrieved for a field goal in the fourth quarter. Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter had a sack that forced a punt and two quarterback hits. Andrew Billings added a tackle for loss and two quarterback hits.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B

Velus Jones botched his first kickoff return of the season, leading to a turnover and field goal that put the Bears in a 10-0 deficit. But that was a rare blunder. Daniel Hardy’s blocked punt and Jonathan Owens’ 21-yard return for a touchdown capped the comeback. Cairo Santos was 3-for-3 on field goals — from 50, 48 and 24 yards. DeAndre Carter had punt returns of 20 and 16 yards. Rookie Tory Taylor had three of his four points inside the 20.

CALEB WILLIAMS: D

Rookie Caleb Williams (14-for-29, 93 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 55.7) wasn’t expected to show it in his NFL debut, but he’s been impressive enough in training camp and the preseason that better is to be expected, even with poor protection. Williams’ longest completion was 13 yards to DJ Moore. His Luck appears to be better. Justin Fields was 1-6 with a passing rating of 55.7 or lower. Williams is 1-0.

SHANE WALDRON: D

The offense was perhaps the bigger disappointment in Williams’ debut. Williams had few open receivers to throw to, though a swing pass to DeAndre Swift for a two-point conversion was an impressive exception. The Bears managed just 148 yards on 53 plays, 2.8 yards per play.

OFFENSIVE LINE: D

Center Coleman Shelton would never be as flashy as he was in his Bears debut. Shelton was beaten hard in the first quarter, leading to a 19-yard sack for Williams. He was beaten again in the second quarter, but Williams was able to escape for a positive play. Nate Davis and Ryan Bates alternated at right guard. Overall, the line still has a lot of work to do.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus was uncertain about his future status as the team prepares to visit the Texans.

By means of Jason Lieser

The Caleb Williams era began with a period where the defense and special teams had to step up their game.

By means of Sun-Times Staff

Some fans said rookie quarterback Caleb Williams didn’t live up to preseason expectations. After trailing for three quarters, the Bears’ defense and special teams led to a 24-17 victory.