Caleb Williams Disappoints Fans in NFL Debut Despite Bears' Comeback Win vs. Titans

Caleb Williams may be in his Rex Grossman era.

Grossman famously won plenty of games for the Chicago Bears even when he played poorly thanks to the team's special teams and defense, and that is exactly what Williams did in his first career start.

Chicago defeated the Tennessee Titans 24-17 on Sunday in Soldier Field despite facing a 17-3 halftime deficit. The No. 1 overall pick didn't play well at 14-of-29 passing for 92 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions, but the defense led the way for the victors.

Tyrique Stevenson's pick-six in the fourth quarter proved to be the game-winner after Jonathan Owens' touchdown on a blocked punt turned the momentum. Fittingly, it was Jaylon Johnson's interception of Will Levis that iced the game in the final two minutes.

Still, social media was focused on Williams' overall showing:

While this was the first game for new Titans head coach Brian Callahan as he looks to help his team bounce back from two straight losing seasons, all eyes were on the Bears and Williams' regular-season debut.

He was the headliner of a drastic offensive overhaul this season that also saw the NFC North team trade Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers and add Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, D'Andre Swift and Gerald Everett to an offense that already featured DJ Moore and Cole Kmet.

Expectations were sky-high entering Sunday's opener for a franchise that hasn't won a playoff game since the 2010 campaign, but that optimism quickly faded during an abysmal start. First, Williams took a sack for a 19-yard loss to move out of field-goal range, and then Tennessee scored the first touchdown with a long Tony Pollard run.

As if that wasn't enough, Velus Jones Jr. fumbled the ensuing kickoff to set up a Titans field goal before Chigoziem Okonkwo came down with a 50-50 jump ball for a touchdown. Even Chicago's lone field goal ahead of a 17-3 halftime deficit didn't make the fans feel better, as it came after Allen dropped a touchdown.

Then it all changed thanks to the defense and special teams.

Owens scooping up the blocked punt and returning it for a touchdown finally gave the fans, some of whom were booing at halftime, something to cheer for. And then a strip-sack from Darrell Taylor and multiple long field goals from Cairo Santos made it a one-point game before Stevenson made the biggest play of the contest.

Williams will have to be much better next week on Sunday Night Football against C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans, but Bears fans are surely thrilled with the opening win.