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Bears trail Titans 17-3 at halftime in QB Caleb Williams debut
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Bears trail Titans 17-3 at halftime in QB Caleb Williams debut

Caleb Williams’ NFL debut teeters on the brink of disaster at halftime as the Bears trail the Titans 17-3 on Sunday at Soldier Field.

Williams went 8-for-14 for 53 yards and a 65.5 passer rating in the first half. One of his completions was wild — late in the first half, Williams threw a slant pass that hit a Titans player in the helmet, bounced in the air and was caught by rookie Rome Odunze as if he was boxing out for a rebound. Odunze fumbled upon landing and the ball was recovered by Teven Jenkins for a gain of nine yards.

The Titans, expected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL, opened the scoring in the final minute of the first quarter when running back Tony Pollard threw a 26-yard touchdown. Velus Jones fumbled the ensuing kick return, driving the ball at his own 3-yard line and running forward to the ground, where the Titans recovered it 20 yards later. Titans kicker Nick Folk hit a 40-yard field goal four plays later, making it within 10 yards.

A five-play drive led to another Bears punt, after which the Titans executed a methodical 8-minute, 23-second touchdown drive that ended with a 17-yard touchdown from Chig Okonkwo on first-and-goal.

With Jones benched from his kick returner job, DeAndre Carter returned the ensuing kickoff 67 yards. The Bears converted fourth-and-1 at the 25 with two minutes left in the half, but ultimately settled for a 24-yard Cairo Santos field goal.

Earlier, new Bears defensive end Darrell Taylor, who did not practice Friday and was considered questionable for the team’s season opener, was listed as active and recorded his first sack.

Taylor’s foot was trampled during practice on Thursday. The Bears traded him last month in hopes he would provide a pass-rush boost over Montez Sweat.

As expected, receiver Keenan Allen (heel) and Sweat (toe) will play. Defensive end DeMarcus Walker (groin) will also play.

The Bears have healthy wide receiver Tyler Scott, linebacker Noah Sewell, tackle Kiran Amegadjie, center/guard Bill Murray and defensive end Dominique Robinson. Running back Roschon Johnson, who has been nursing a toe injury but was a full participant Friday, is inactive.