- The Tennessee Titans begin the regular season against the Chicago Bears, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. ET at Soldier Field in Chicago.
- The Bears are favored by four points over the Titans, with the game total set at 44.5.
- Caleb Williams will make his NFL debut as Chicago's quarterback, while Will Levis starts his second season in the league.
Let's get into my Titans vs Bears prediction.
The Titans (6-11 last season) and Bears (7-10) are similar in more ways than you might think. Both teams have veteran playmakers to help their young QBs — DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley in Tennessee and D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen in Chicago — and both have added veterans to their defenses over the past 12 months.
Let's break down the matchup and why I'm betting Tennessee to start the regular season.
Tennessee Titans vs Chicago Bears Picks
SPREAD
I'm backing the Titans as a Week 1 road underdog to cover against the Bears.
MONEYLINE
I have no bet on the moneyline and am instead focusing my attention on the spread.
TOTAL
I have no bet on the Bears-Titans total.
NFL Week 1 Pick: Titans +4.5
Titans vs Bears Odds
| Titans Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4 -110 | 44.5 -110o / -110u | +165 |
| Bears Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4 -110 | 44.5 -110o / -110u | -200 |
- Titans vs Bears Point Spread: Titans +4 | Bears -4
- Titans vs Bears Total: Over/Under 44.5
- Titans vs Bears Moneyline: Titans +165 | Bears -200
- 68% of bets and 76% of the money are on the Titans to cover the spread.
- 85% of bets and 72% of the money are on the over.
- 93% of bets and 91% of the money on the moneyline are on the Bears.
How To Watch Titans vs Bears
| Location: | Soldier Field in Chicago |
| Date: | Sunday, Sept. 8 |
| Kickoff Time: | 1 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | FOX |
Titans vs Bears is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET live from Soldier Field on Sunday. The game is live on FOX and other streaming platforms, such as YouTube TV.
NFL Weather Week 1 for Sunday's Game
How to Make NFL Picks for Titans vs Bears
There has been a lot of hype around the Bears this offseason, but I think people are sleeping on the fact that the Titans are also going to be improved. I don't necessarily agree that Mike Vrabel should have been fired, but I think Tennessee got a good coach in Brian Callahan, who was the Bengals' offensive coordinator.
In terms of personnel, the Titans upgraded the skill positions with running back Tony Pollard and wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd. Tennessee also upgraded its trouble spots on the offensive line, which was always its weakness, with Lloyd Cushenberry, who was a top-10 center last season, and J.C. Latham, who was the seventh overall pick in this year's draft.
Defensively, the secondary was a big issue last season that could take some time to improve, but the Titans went out of their way to improve it over the offseason. Cornerback L'Jarius Sneed was acquired from the Chiefs after a breakout 2023 season, while free-agent-signing Chidobe Awuzie should at least be able to give you average play every week, although I think he's a little on the older side now so I'm not expecting much. Amani Hooker will be joined by veteran Quandre Diggs, who's has been a quality player in this league. At linebacker, Ernest Jones was acquired on cutdown day. He'll be a boost as an under-the-radar player in the middle of the field.
The goal for the Titans this season is to give Levis a chance to succeed. I think he can be a pretty solid quarterback as long as he has some time in the pocket. He has good pass-catching options at his disposal this year, as well as what should be better protection.
Then, there's the Bears. I think the hype is getting a little out of control on Chicago.
The Bears are starting a rookie quarterback in his first ever game and are four-point favorites against a team that's kind of in the same boat as them in terms of building around a young quarterback.
I like Williams and what the Bears did to the roster around him, but I still have some questions about the offensive line, which will take some time to gel. Historically, No. 1 picks at quarterback have really struggled in their first games.
Shoutout to our guy Evan Abrams, who went back and looked 27 No. 1 picks since the merger in 1970. In their first start, they went 4-22-1 straight-up and 7-20 against the spread. That latter number is 27%.
Some other trends support the Titans. Week 1 underdogs that won between four and six games in the previous season are 71-35 (67%) against the spread over the past 20 years. Since the NFL went to a 17-game season, it's 11-3 (79%) over the last three seasons.
Overall, I just don't think there's as big of a disparity between these two teams as the market does, so I'll take the Titans as dogs on the road and would bet them getting anything higher than a field goal. Give me Tennessee.
Pick: Titans +4.5
