Even in the exhibition season, in the games within the game that produce such matchups as starters going against fourth-string rookies, certain unavoidable truths become apparent.
Even as the Bears’ offense produced touchdowns on consecutive possessions to pull to three points down with less than four minutes remaining, those truths were indisputable. And on Friday night at Soldier Field, it was this:
There is a reason why the Tennessee Titans were in the Super Bowl last year and the Bears were not. There is a reason why the Titans are still considered among the league favorites and the Bears are still some distance away.
It began with the Titans’ 309 yards of total offense in the first half to 136 by the Bears, and ended with a 34-28 Tennessee victory.
Concerns about the Bears defense were far from allayed in the first quarter as last year’s Super Bowl runner-ups racked up 149 yards of total yardage to 48 for the Bears.
Steve McNair was 7 of 8 for 112 yards, at one point completing 13 straight passes into the second quarter in leading the Titans to scores on their first three possessions and a 41-yard missed field goal try by Al Del Greco on their fourth.
McNair, like Cincinnati’s Akili Smith last week, had more than ample time to operate, considering every option but where to eat after the game and finding consistently wide-open receivers, mostly in the middle of the coverage. He left in the third quarter having completed 17 of 23 passes for 267 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Five Titan receivers caught passes in the first quarter alone with Pro Bowler Eddie George filling in the gaps from there with 12 first-half carries for 42 yards and a 1-yard TD plunge to increase Tennessee’s lead to 14-0. McNair’s 1-yard run had made it 7-0.
With the Titans holding an advantage in time of possession of 10:22-4:38, Cade McNown and the Bears offense got only 10 plays off with McNown completing 6 of 13 passes for 52 yards.
Among McNown’s better moments: escaping the grasp of a charging Jevon Kearse to get off a play-action pass and 11-yard completion to Macey Brooks, and an 18-yard third-down romp. The forgettable: a sack for an 8-yard loss on third-and-9 from the Titans’ 35-yard-line and a pass deep in Titans territory just out of the grasp of Brooks.
Curtis Enis had only two carries for 18 yards while James Allen had six for 14 yards.
With the final roster cutdown day looming Sunday, punter Brent Bartholomew, who seemed to secure a job with the release this week of Aron Langley, may have opened the door to more waiver hunting by Bears management. His 31-yard punt early in the third quarter yielded a 29-yard return to the Bears’ 20 and eventual 6-yard McNair touchdown pass.
Dependable Bears veterans continued to make an impression. Glyn Milburn’s 54-yard kickoff return set up Paul Edinger’s 45-yard field goal early in the second quarter, while Bobby Engram’s catch and impressive run for 30 yards from Jim Miller in the second quarter set up Jaret Holmes’ 36-yard field goal. Safety Tony Parrish, demoted to second string this week, accepted a gift from McNair at the Bears’ goal line near the end of the first half for an interception.
The Titans kept their first string in an inordinately long period of time for an exhibition game, well into the third quarter, and the mismatch became that much more glaring as they scored on their first two possessions of the third to build a 31-6 lead.
An interception by Miller set up the second–a pass from McNair that ricocheted off Titans receiver Erron Kinney before settling in the arms of Yancey Thigpen. Miller left the game in the third quarter with 7 of 11 passing for 104 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
But the Bears mounted two consecutive scoring drives of their own to pull to 31-20 on a 15-yard scoring pass from Miller to rookie Dez White and, with Shane Matthews directing the next possession, an 18-yard run by Marlon Barnes.
Barnes undoubtedly helped himself, along with another member of the bubble brigade, receiver D’Wayne Bates, who snared a 31-yarder from Matthews in the fourth quarter to set up a nifty 2-yard change-of-direction touchdown run by rookie Frank Murphy. Free agent receiver Corey Bridges scored the 2-point conversion on a pass from Matthews.
