Bears vs. Titans: 5 Key Lessons Chicago Bears Learned in Third Preseason Game

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The Chicago Bears starters played their most minutes in the third preseason game vs. the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night, but it was a unimpressive outing.

The Bears were able to do some things well but were still only able to put up 10 points. Lucky for the Bears offense, the starting defense was able to hold the Titans' attack to just seven points, but the Titans were also without star running back Chris Johnson. 

This game was very telling of how the regular season will go, and there are several important lessons that we learned from the Bears last night. 

Jay Cutler Has Got Game

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Jay Cutler has shown this preseason that if he gets time, he is a top quarterback.

On Saturday night Cutler was 13-of-21 which is not extremely impressive, but he also threw for 170 yards. 

Cutler did have an interception, but it came off a dropped pass by his receiver. The pass was high but completely catchable.

Throughout the game, Cutler had time in the pocket and was able to complete big pass after big pass, convert on third down and moved the Bears down the field.

This is the second year in Martz's system, and Martz now has all his guys in place to make this offense work. The Bears traded away TE Greg Olsen to make room for Kellen Davis and Matt Spaeth who are both large 6' 7" blocking TE ends. 

This should allow Cutler even more time to showcase his talents and should lead to a very impressive third season in Chicago.  

The Wrong Receivers Are Starting

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The Bears have struggled with their receivers for several years now. They have not been able to focus in on one receiver to be "that" guy.

In years past, it has looked like the Bears lacked the talent, but this year, the coaching staff seems to be the problem. 

Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox are the Chicago Bears' most talented options at the wide receiver position, yet, neither are starting.

Devin Hester and Roy E. Williams have the starting jobs, and both have looked less than impressive this preseason including Saturday night vs. the Titans. 

Williams had just two catches for 33 yards, and Hester also only had two receptions for 31 yards and had several drops.

Bennett on the other hand stole the show. He led the Bears with six catches for 89 yards. Knox only had one reception for 21 yards, but he saw limited action.

The Bears' coaching staff's decisions are mind-boggling.

They have benched their No. 1 receiver from last season, Knox, and put him on kick/punt returns. Then they have taken the most prolific return man in the history of the NFL, Hester, and taken him off returns.

It does not make sense. Hopefully, they will see the error of their ways, and the most talented receivers will play.  

The Offensive Line Will Hold Up

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The Bears' biggest weakness last season was their offensive line. They gave up a league-high 56 sacks, and most people believed this season would be no different. 

But so far in the preseason, they have proved us wrong. Last night, the offensive line gave up just one sack to the Titans and gave up just one sack in the previous game against the Giants. 

Webb, Williams, Garza, Louis and Carimi seemed to have taken the criticisms personally and have stepped up their game. 

If the line can be as effective as they were against the Titans, they could surprisingly be one of the better offensive lines in the NFC. 

The Defense Is Not Too Old

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The Chicago Bears defense is aging, and there have been concerns that key players like Brian Urlacher and Julius Peppers are getting too old. 

On Saturday night, the Bears gave up only 220 total yards and held the Titans to just 3-of-11 on third down. 

The defense did not have any signature Lovie Smith takeaways, but they only allowed seven points.

In 2010, the Bears were fourth in the league in points allowed and ninth in yards allowed, and I do not see the Bears defense falling off that elite level this season.  

The Bears Secondary Is Weak

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While the Chicago Bears defense is strong overall, their secondary still gives up too many yards.

The Bears secondary does a great job forcing turnovers and limiting passing touchdowns, but they give up far too many passing yards which hurts the Bears' field positions. 

The secondary only gave up 139 passing yards in their third preseason game vs. the Titans, which is excellent, but there were too many long yardage situations where the Bears gave up big passes. 

I expect the Bears secondary to have a very up-and-down season, but if they are not able to slow down opposition's passing games, then Aaron Rodgers, Matt Stafford and Donovan McNabb will be very excited to face the Bears two times each in 2011. 

 

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