I would have liked to have seen Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams throw for 300 yards and a couple of scores in the win over Tennessee, if only to avoid the calls and texts from the doubters among us about his disappointing performance yesterday. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. So let’s talk about his performance and some other notable performances from Sunday at Soldier Field.

Caleb Williams wasn’t great on Sunday, but certainly not bad

Williams completed just 14 of 29 passes for 93 yards in his regular-season debut against Tennessee, with no touchdowns or interceptions. He was a Keenan Allen drop in the end zone away from making those numbers look a little better, but it didn’t work out that way.

He was just a few missed shots away from the performance we all dreamed of, but he didn’t execute. He knocked over Keenan Allen and DeAndre Carter when they looked good deep down the court.

One of Williams’ best qualities in college was that he didn’t miss those shots. Another, probably the best attribute was his ability to extend plays in the pocket. We saw it work on Sunday. We also saw it backfire when he recorded a 19-yard sack.

The bottom line is that Williams wasn’t great. But he wasn’t terrible either. There were missed opportunities and growing pains, but there were glimpses of his quick release, laser-beam arm and escapability. Most importantly, there were no turnovers. Williams did nothing to help the Bears win Sunday’s game, but he also did nothing to help them lose it.

We’ll discuss Williams’ performance in more detail tomorrow morning after I dive into his All-22 today. Still, this wasn’t the sky is falling performance or the scenario some wanted to see happen yesterday.

Let’s talk about Coleman Shelton

Coleman Shelton was absolutely terrible yesterday. He earned a 50.1 pass block grade on PFF, but that doesn’t stack up against the eye test, where Shelton was tossed around the football field and blown past at the snap, but he wasn’t launched into the air or flattened at the point of contact. I’ll leave the offensive line film analysis to Matt, but Coleman Shelton’s debut as the Bears’ starting center was ugly.

Speaking of ugly PFF pass block grades, Teven Jenkins posted a 12.5 pass block grade on Sunday. Between Jenkins having perhaps the worst game of his career, Shelton looking outclassed all afternoon and the combination of Nate Davis and Ryan Bates at right guard looking no better, the Bears’ interior offensive line was an unmitigated disaster, and it’s no wonder Caleb Williams had such a rough day at the office.

Can someone explain to me why Gerald Everett outscored Cole Kmet?

Looking at the snap numbers this morning, I can’t figure out why the Bears’ highest paid tight end, Cole Kmet, was getting fewer snaps than his backup, Gerald Everett, 34-27. Kmet wasn’t even on the injury report last week.

In addition to only being on the field for 27 snaps, Kmet was targeted just once on Sunday. When it comes to the Bears’ top playmakers (Moore, Allen, Odunze, Kmet and Swift), they were on the field together just 10 times on Sunday. Ten. That’s it.

How does Shane Waldron justify that?

In addition to the questionable personnel usage, Waldron’s offense was very conservative on early downs and did not look fluid. I can’t wait to hear his press conference this week.

I was wrong about Tory Taylor yesterday

In my instant player grades yesterday, I gave Tory Taylor a C, but after sleeping on it, he probably should have gotten a B. Taylor punted six times, and three of them were inside Tennessee’s 20-yard line. The rookie punter also averaged 45 yards, and his first kick could have pinned the Titans inside their own five if not for an unfortunate bounce.

Apart from the fact that Taylor was not demoted and Williams may have received a severe penalty, I thought the exercise worked out well, even in hindsight this morning.

How about Darrell Taylor?

Bears GM Ryan Poles has gotten a lot of kudos for his work modernizing this roster, particularly the job he did last offseason when he brought in Keenan Allen, Caleb Williams, Rome Odunze and D’Andre Swift on the offensive side of the ball. Still, trades like the one for Darrell Taylor, in which Poles sent a sixth-round pick to Seattle a few weeks ago for a player who needed a change of scenery, make his overall work seem impressive.

Taylor was used as a situational pass rusher on Sunday. He played 38 snaps for the Bears defense, collecting a pair of sacks in his Chicago debut and forcing a fumble. His three quarterback pressures tied for third on the team with Gervon Dexter Sr. and Montez Sweat, behind DeMarcus Walker (5) and Andrew Billings (4).

If the Bears can rely on that, it will be another win for Poland and his management, as he can identify low-risk, high-return players for key roles at both ends of the pitch.