Caleb Williams learned a valuable lesson during his first professional football game: It’s going to be a lot tougher than the Pac-12.

The Bears defeated the Tennessee Titans 24-17 to open the season on Sunday, but they didn’t get much help from the offense. A punt blocked for a touchdown and a pick 6 helped the Bears earn their first win of the season.

“They didn’t do anything spectacular,” Titans defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons said, according to ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler. “What we’ve got to do is just get the ball. I didn’t see anything spectacular. They didn’t do anything on offense.”

After a dazzling preseason, Williams was confronted with the harsh reality of just how tough the NFL can be. It was a mixed bag for the rookie, who had some great plays that showcased his athleticism and playmaking ability, but also a handful of rough plays against a Titans defense that was ready to play in its first game under new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson.

“It was clearly not a game I’m going to play in the future, and it wasn’t a game I wanted to play for my first game,” Williams said afterward on the Fox broadcast.

Williams completed 14 of his 29 passes for just 93 yards and was sacked twice for a total loss of 29 yards. Sixty-four net passing yards and 2 of 13 on third down isn’t where Williams wants to be, but it’s only his first game and he was still try to make plays throughout the game. There were times when his pocket presence and process were slow, leading to tough plays against a Titans defense that still has its fair share of good players.

Relying on defensive and special teams touchdowns isn’t a sustainable strategy for winning games, but it wasn’t all bad for Williams in his debut. Keenan Allen threw what would have been Williams’ first touchdown and Williams still had a few plays that showed his outsized potential, even with the low yardage output.

“I told the guys weeks ago that we have to play well with Caleb, and we have to continue to do that,” said Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.

Once he gets used to the speed of NFL front sevens, the onslaught of plays going for zero or negative yardage should diminish. Williams had a scramble where he made a player miss in the open field and also got wide receiver DJ Moore under pressure as he rolled to his right.

Those are the plays that gave a glimpse of the immense talent he has. He had a few uncharacteristic misses in the first quarter, including a wide-open Allen deep downfield, but he pulled through and ultimately completed 8 of his 14 pass attempts in the first half. The second half is where things really went wrong for the passing game, with Williams completing just 6 of his 15 attempts for 40 yards. The defense and special teams saved the offense, but it wasn’t a performance that will win the Bears many games this season.

The good news is that it’s only week 1. Everyone is breathing. There won’t be many season-long referendums to hold from the first week of the season, other than the Panthers being awful for the second season in a row.

Williams will be better. The Bears will be better. There will be some tough games as Williams adjusts to the NFL, but there were glimpses of special play there. Maybe Williams’ runway is a little longer than expected, but there’s no reason to panic yet.

The NFL is tough. The players are bigger, stronger, faster, and the margins are exponentially smaller. Part of the process for a rookie quarterback is learning what you can get away with. Williams learned that the hard way on Sunday, but at least he didn’t lose the ball like Will Levis did, mistakes that opened the door for Chicago’s comeback. That’s a small step to build on. Williams will have some extreme highs as a rookie, but games like that are possible if he adapts.

Sunday was a reminder that immediate success is not guaranteed, but one game is one game for now. Stay calm out there, everyone.