Bears fans share optimism, frustrations after team’s shaky season opener

Chicago Bears fans left Sunday’s season opener with a measure of excitement after the team came back from being down the first three quarters to win against the Tennessee Titans.

“Let’s go, Bears!” fans cheered while waving orange-and-blue flags and jerseys in the air. But amid the celebration, the crowd filtering out of Soldier Field buzzed with chatter about how the team will need to step up its offense if it hopes to win more.

The Bears finished their Week 1 game strong, beating the Titans 24-17 after clearing a 17-point deficit in the game’s last half. Until then, the game had been marked by disappointments that included new quarterback Caleb Williams struggling to live up to his preseason hype, some fans said.

“It was disappointing and frustrating, but we have to keep in mind Caleb is a rookie,” said Allison Herr. “And it’s not all him. It’s the coaching, too, and the play calls.”

Williams made few contributions to Sunday’s win, with many fans saying it was the Bears’ defensive strategies that brought the team to victory.

“It’s the same old thing for the Bears,” said Katherine Bowers, who went to the game with Herr. “It’s the defense and special teams that are making the plays, while our offense is just slowly afloat.”

Demorais Dickerson, who had never been to a Bears game until Sunday, said people need to have patience with Williams and give him room to improve over the next few games.

“He’s the new kid on the block, so he’s got a little bit to work on,” Dickerson said. “But he’s shown he’s talented, so we have to give him a chance.”

Bowers said she hopes to see Williams and his teammates strengthen the offense as the season goes on.

Williams, who was drafted in late April, is one of five new Bears players this season. Fans said they hoped the players could bring new energy that will help the team win more.

“It’s great having these new guys on the team,” said Rich Wilkins. “All of the receivers are awesome and the defense looks good. But there’s clearly some first-game jitters they need to shake off.”

Herr and Bowers said the new players are what influenced them to buy tickets to Sunday’s opening game. The two usually go to one or two games a season, but they wanted to be part of welcoming the new players to the Bears.

“We need Caleb and the rest of the players to feel from the city of Chicago that this is serious to us,” Herr said. “I hope the players and coaches can see this is a serious city and adjust so we can win more easily going forward.”

Looking ahead toward the rest of the season, Herr said she’s “prepared for the worst but hoping for the best.”

“After being a Bears fan this long, I’ve got to be a realist,” Herr said.