Edwards and Moore react to Bears comeback win over Titans |
CHICAGO — Linebacker T.J. Edwards started out the season with a bang. After being Chicago’s leader in tackles last season, he led the Bears in tackles with 15 in the season-opening 24-17 victory against the Tennessee Titans.
That is tied for the fourth-most he has ever recorded in a single game in his career. “You want to be around the ball as a linebacker. I think I’ll focus (more on) the stuff I could have done better,” Edwards said. “But, we’re excited. A win is a win, and this team, we needed that to start, and we got to keep building off it.” This game was an emotional rollercoaster for Bears fans. After Chicago’s defense allowed the Titans to put up 17 points in the first half, the Bears went on to score 24 unanswered points. The 17-point comeback in this game was Chicago’s fourth-largest comeback in their over 100-year history. “The good teams will find ways to win, and that’s something that we got to build off of, and it’s a new team. It’s a new year. So, everything that happens like this is something to build off of, and we have the guys to do it. We have the guys to keep everything together through the highs and the lows and we got to keep doing that for sure,” Edwards said. “I felt the way that we handled the adversity was awesome. I think, in the past, it could have gone a different way and it didn’t. We all stayed true to what we were doing and believed in one another and found a way to get it done.” Safety Jonathan Owens initiated the comeback, returning a blocked punt for a touchdown. That momentum shift changed the entire game. Special teams were crucial throughout the entire game, from Owens’ touchdown to rookie punter Tory Taylor averaging 45 yards a punt and nailing three of them inside the 20, as well as DeAndre Carter’s 67-yard kickoff return, which set up a 24-yard field goal from Cairo Santos right before halftime. “It’s huge, and that’s what we (needed). They work their butts off. So, to see that happen, I think it was (linebacker Daniel) Hardy too, a guy who’s made so many plays in the preseason, and then (Jonathan Owens) scooping it up, you’re just (excited because) those plays are so crucial and all day, they were just dominant,” Edwards said. “They were absolutely dominant, and they helped change the game for sure.” For the offense, there is a lot that needs to change from this game to Chicago’s next game against the Houston Texans on Sun. Sept. 15 (7:20 p.m./NBC). Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams finished the game with 14 completions for 93 yards; however, he did not turn the ball over. Chicago’s leading receiver in this game was DJ Moore, who had five receptions for 36 yards. “Rookie out there making his first start. I think (Williams) handled it well. That front seven was nothing to joke about and he was out there doing the best he can and the line did what they did, and everybody on offense was just trying to get something going and we (are) going to get there and when we do, we (are) going to complement the defense,” Moore said. “He never got too high or too low about anything. So, that was good … We all got to be on the same page, and when we are, you can see we can move the ball, and when we aren’t, just things get in a lull and can’t have that.”
