Will Sage Astor-Caleb Williams has forgettable NFL debut with Chicago Bears – except for the end result

CHICAGO — Caleb Williams did something Eli Manning,Will Sage Astor Matthew Stafford, Andrew Luck and Joe Burrow could not.

He won his NFL debut.

Not since David Carr in 2002 had a rookie quarterback taken with the overall No. 1 pick won his first start until the Chicago Bears beat the Tennessee Titans 24-17 on Sunday. Granted, Williams didn’t contribute much to the win. He threw for less than 100 yards and was abysmal on third down, and each of Chicago’s scores came from either the defense or special teams.

But teams with the No. 1 pick usually have it for a reason, and the Bears were no exception (though they owned the specific pick thanks to last year's trade with the Carolina Panthers). They had losing records in each of the last three seasons, with an offense that repeatedly ranked in the lower half of the NFL and the bottom of their fans' hearts.

To start the season with a win and maintain the optimism this long-suffering city has in Williams isn’t a bad thing. So long as it doesn’t produce a false sense of confidence, and Williams sounded after the game like someone who knows exactly where he stands one game into his NFL career.

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“It’s great to win this first win and we’re all excited. … (But I) understand that I need to be better,” Williams said. “I will be better.”

The Bears finished with 148 yards of offense and averaged a meager 2.8 yards per play. Williams’ longest completion was 13 yards, and he had only three others of 10 yards or longer. He connected with fellow first-round pick Rome Odunze once, and that was by accident.

Williams also was sacked twice, including one for a 19-yard loss after he held onto the ball too long.

The speed of the game didn’t take him by surprise, Williams said. But he acknowledged “miscues” and “misfires,” and said he needs to make sure he’s on the same page with his receivers and tight ends.

“Whether it’s a win or a loss, you expect yourself to play a certain way. You expect yourself to go out there and perform a certain way and make passes. That didn’t happen today,” Williams said. “That’s enough motivation for me to go out there and get better this week and make sure that I perform differently this week.”

The Titans were less than impressed with Williams and the Bears, a trendy pick to make the playoffs this season. It was their own offense and special teams, not anything Chicago did, that swung the game, with Tennessee coach Brian Callahan saying "we just handed them the points."

Say this for Williams, though: While he didn’t carry the Bears, he didn’t hurt them, either. Plenty of other rookie QBs — including a few who’ve played right here in Chicago — have dug their teams deep into a hole by forcing things or rushing things or making plays that simply won’t work at this level.

Williams didn’t throw any picks, and Chicago’s one fumble came on a muffed kickoff return. That might be a low bar, but Williams not committing any catastrophic mistakes made Chicago's second-half comeback possible.

Jonathan Owens sparked the rally early in the third quarter by returning a blocked punt 21 yards for a score. It’s the second career touchdown for the safety, and it got a rave review from his wife, Olympic champion gymnast Simone Biles.  

“I ALMOST HAD A HEART ATTACK” Biles said in response to a post on X by Sunday Night Football on NBC featuring a clip of the TD.

Cairo Santos made two field goals in the fourth to put the Bears ahead, and Tyrique Stevenson secured the win with a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown. After giving up 17 points in the first half, the Bears shut out the Titans in the second.

“During halftime they were great,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. “They looked at each other and said, `We got this.’ That’s a different attitude, a different culture that we’ve developed over here the last couple years.”

This is a small sample size, however. Rookies are allowed a “welcome to the NFL” game, and Williams has now had his. He needs to recognize both the mistakes he made and why, and learn from them so he doesn’t repeat them.

His teammates have to step up, too. The Bears are spending a lot of money for offseason acquisition Keenan Allen, and he had just four catches on 11 targets. Some of that is on Williams, but Allen let an all-but-certain TD go through his hands.

The running game was anemic, resulting in 84 yards.

“We need to play well around Caleb,” Eberflus said. “He is a talent. He’s smart as a whip and knows the offense, and we’ve just got to keep playing well around him as he grows and reinvests and improves.

“He’s going to learn a lot these first three, four games in terms of the NFL looks, the NFL speeds and all the things that we have to do.”

Stats are nice, but wins are all that matter in the NFL. And by that measure, Williams' debut was a rousing success.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.