Game Overview ::
By hilow >>
- The Bears have a lot of hype surrounding them entering the 2024 season, but that also brings heaps of uncertainty.
- Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron continued his aversion to 11-personnel from his Seattle days into the preseason this year, which, in all honesty, does not make a ton of sense considering this team’s depth chart right now.
- The Titans completely cleaned house this offseason and took the franchise in a new direction, signing head coach Brian Callahan, offensive coordinator Nick Holz, and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson. The only thing we can say with certainty is this team is going to look much different after years of smashmouth football under Mike Vrabel.
- Vegas appears to have no clue what to do with this game environment. Surprisingly enough, this game currently has the fourth-highest game total on the slate and a spread of just four points.
- Expect new Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington to bring the heat and get after Will Levis here after consistently talking about disruption this offseason. He has overseen some remarkable sack numbers in his coaching career.
How tennessee Will Try To Win ::
Titans ownership went in a completely new direction this offseason, firing the triad and bringing in Callahan, Holz, and Wilson to lead the charge. Callahan comes from the Bengals, which were near the top of the league in pass rates in each of the previous three seasons. That said, offseason remarks to the media seem to indicate Callahan’s vision is to be pass-balanced, as opposed to all-out pass-heavy. This team has the defense to pull that off, but I expect the ultimate pass-rush rates to be dictated by the performance of an offensive line with numerous holes.
The addition of rookie left tackle JC Latham will help in that regard, but this is still a unit graded 26th by Sharp Football Analysis and 30th by PFF. Most notably, the right side of the offensive line is youthful but unproven between right guard Dillon Radunz and right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere. Radunz excelled in run-blocking metrics a season ago but struggled in pass protection, while Petit-Frere was one of the lowest graded tackles in the league. As expected under Callahan, the Titans utilized 11-personnel at an above average 75% clip during the preseason, something that is a staple of his coaching tree.
Callahan has continued to state that he views Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears as co-starters, even naming them as such in each iteration of the depth chart that has been released by the team. Most notably, he continues to say that both backs are largely interchangeable, meaning this is likely to be a strict timeshare between the two with both backs capable of executing all aspects of the game plan. I wouldn’t put it past Callahan to ride a hot hand should one develop in a given week, meaning either back could feasibly find their way into GPP consideration throughout the season. The difficult part about that is the unpredictability in volume. That simply screams large-field consideration and small-field avoidance.
The Bears were great against the run a season ago, ceding just 3.8 yards per carry and the second-fewest rushing scores, but they too have a defensive-coordinator change. Washington re-enters the defensive-coordinator ranks for the first time since 2019 with the Panthers after serving as the defensive-line coach for the Bills for the previous four seasons, including two seasons in more robust coaching roles as senior defensive assistant and assistant head coach. Washington has been coaching in the league since 2008 and brings a lot of experience to the Bears. As such, the matchup on the ground is far from ideal on paper.
The Titans also made strides to address their pass game this offseason, signing Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd in addition to the drafting of Latham. All signs point to a more pass-balanced offense, as GM Ran Carthon did his best to surround second-year quarterback Levis with the best possible supporting cast to continue his growth under center. I would expect the trio of DeAndre Hopkins, Ridley, and Boyd to have clearly defined roles in this offense, with Hopkins the prototypical “X” receiver, Ridley the prototypical “Z” receiver, and Boyd the prototypical “Y” receiver, although Treylon Burks could feasibly force his way into the lineup with continued growth. I don’t necessarily see that happening at great frequency early in the season, but offseason reports were steadily positive on Burks this year.
As clear-cut as the wide-receiver shakeout is, the tight-end situation is far from stable. The team held four tight ends on the 53-man roster through cut downs and Chigoziem Okonkwo did not see the expectedly high snap rates with the starters during preseason, although it was Nick Vannett that was rotated through with Okonkwo and he was released in final cuts. Okonkwo’s athletic profile screams upside but it will come down to his ability to earn consistent snaps in a new-look offense.
We should expect Washington to bring the pressure since his defensive scheme is rooted in disruption, which could force Levis into more catch-and-release passing over the short-to-intermediate areas of the field. Washington’s last stop as defensive coordinator was in Carolina during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In that second year with the Panthers, his defense ranked second in the league in sacks with 53. His Bills defenses (defensive-line coach) ranked 11th, 16th, and fourth in sacks over the previous three seasons.
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