3 Disappointments From Bears’ Thrilling Comeback Week 1 Win

After weeks and months of preparation and practice, Week 1 of the 2024 NFL regular season is officially here for the Chicago Bears.

Heading into Sunday’s regular-season opener against the Tennessee Titans, there was a lot of optimism surrounding the Bears, who drafted rookies Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze in the first round and retooled their offense.

However, that optimism took a backseat Sunday afternoon, as Chicago was down 17-3 at the half. But thanks to their defense and special teams, Chicago scored 21 unanswered points to win 24-17 in front of the hometown fans at Soldier Field.

Even though Matt Eberflus’ crew struggled on third down and couldn’t find their footing on offense, the defense bailed them out. The offense knows they must be better and head back to the drawing board heading into Week 2.

Below, we'll discuss a few disappointing players, including a couple making their Windy City debut and must play better in Week 2 against the Houston Texans.

1. Velus Jones Jr.

The Bears found a way to keep the former third-round pick on the 53-man roster last month as some fans thought he was a cut candidate heading into training camp.

Chicago had other ideas for Jones Jr., who showed his willingness to learn and play a new position (running back) this summer, which likely helped him keep his spot. However, Jones might be on thin ice after his performance against the Titans.

The 27-year-old playmaker only had 11 rushing yards on two carries, which isn’t surprising as the Bears spent a ton of money in the offseason on D’Andre Swift. But Jones Jr. had a major blunder on special teams late in the first quarter.

Jones muffed the kickoff return and kicked the ball almost 20 yards ahead of him, which was recovered by the Titans. Luckily, the Bears’ defense held the Titans to a made 40-yard Nick Folk field goal.

That said, it was the last time we saw Jones Jr. on kickoff return duties as the Bears went with Khalil Herbert and DeAndre Carter.

Carter immediately showed off his kick return ability late in the second quarter, with a 66-yard return to give Chicago adequate field position. Thankfully, Bears kicker Cairo Santos knocked through a 24-yard field goal to put themselves on the board.

The 31-year-old Carter also handled punt return duties (five returns for 63 yards). Based on what the veteran did against the Titans, we might not see Jones on kick return duties next week.