NASHVILLE – With both teams resting most of their starters, the Bears closed the preseason with a decisive 24-15 victory over the Titans Saturday night in Tennessee.
Quarterback Tyson Bagent completed 16 of 17 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, including a 97-yard TD to rookie receiver Zavion Thomas on the Bears' first play from scrimmage. The defense generated five three-and-outs and did not allow a TD until there was 3:50 left in the fourth quarter.
"Really proud of the guys for the way we finished," said coach Ben Johnson. "That was kind of the name of the game this week: finish every play, finish every period of practice, finish throughout practice. We had a big one in hot conditions a couple days ago [in Tennessee]. And then finish training camp, which I thought they did."
On the offense's first play of the game after the defense had forced a three-and-out, Bagent rainbowed a 97-yard touchdown pass to Thomas down the right sideline. Freezing cornerback Keydrain Calligan with a stutter step, the third-round pick caught the ball at his own 32 and outraced safety Jerrick Reed II to the end zone.
"It was a great ball, great catch, and then of course 4.28 [speed in the 40-yard dash], great coaching, right?" Johnson said.
"It's a huge boost," Bagent added. "To be able to start off like that, I think it's just able to give the entire team energy going on for the rest of the game."
Thomas finished the game with five receptions for 140 yards.
The Titans cut the deficit to 7-3 on Joey Slye's 28-yard field goal midway through the first quarter. Tennessee settled for the field goal after cornerback Terell Smith broke up a pass intended for receiver K.J. Osborn on third-and-5 from the 10.
On their second possession, the Bears marched to the Titans' 38. But a botched handoff between Bagent and Thomas on a jet sweep resulted in a fumble that defensive end Jacob Martin recovered. Earlier on the drive, Bagent had completed a 19-yard pass to rookie tight end Sam Roush on fourth-and-1 from the Bears' 21.
The Titans converted the takeaway into Slye's 56-yard field goal, closing the gap to 7-6 early in the second quarter. For the second straight possession, Tennessee settled for the kick after Smith broke up a third-down pass.
The Bears extended their lead to 14-6 on Bagent's 2-yard TD pass to receiver Maurice Alexander on fourth-and-goal with 4:54 left in the first half. Flushed from the pocket, Bagent backpedaled with defensive lineman Jalyn Holmes charging at him and lofted the ball into the left corner of the end zone to Alexander, who leaped high to snare it.
"They were in zone," Alexander said. "I had a little back-line basic route. I just stayed in phase with Tyson. He broke the pocket, and he just put the ball up."
Over the past two years, Bagent has built a close rapport with Alexander while working together in practice and preseason games.
"[Alexander] is one of my favorite receivers that I've ever thrown the ball to, and I've thrown the ball to a lot of different people in my career," Bagent said. "He is an extremely hard worker, and he is an extremely good route runner. He continues to put good things on tape, so whenever somebody does that, I'm more likely to look to them, especially when they're No. 1 in the progression."
Alexander's TD capped a 16-play, 69-yard drive that burned 9:14 off the clock and was highlighted by three successful fourth-down conversions. Running back Roschon Johnson's 3-yard run on fourth-and-1 from the Bears 40 and Bagent's 11-yard pass to Alexander on fourth-and-2 from the Titans' 38 preceded the touchdown.
"I know the first one was a pass," Bagent said. "But that second one, being able to convert a short yardage run when pretty much everybody in the stadium knows you're running the ball, that's a huge confidence boost for the big boys."
"They just kept making it fourth-and-manageable for us, and we felt like we had some calls," Ben Johnson said. "I thought the guys did a great job. Roschon was willing to lower his shoulder and make sure we got the first down."
Johnson led the Bears in rushing with 52 yards on 15 carries.
The Titans climbed to within 14-9 on Slye's third field goal, a 25-yarder, as time expired in the first half.
In the first half, Bagent posted a 156.9 passer rating while also leading the Bears in rushing with 21 yards on two carries. He was replaced by veteran Case Keenum to start the third quarter.
The Bears defense opened the second half with three straight three-and-outs, enabling the offense to extend the lead to 24-9 entering the fourth quarter on Johnson's 3-yard TD run and Cairo Santos' 37-yard field goal.
The defense closed the third period with sacks on back-to-back plays, with end Jamree Kromah and tackle Jayden Loving dropping quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Keenum was replaced by rookie Miller Moss to start the fourth quarter after completing 7 of 13 passes for 84 yards and a 73.9 passer rating.
The Titans generated their first and only TD of the night on running back D'Ernest Johnson's 9-yard scamper with 3:50 left in the game, closing the gap to 24-15. But the Bears stopped Tennessee's subsequent two-point conversion attempt, preserving a two-score lead.
Next up for the Bears is final cuts, with NFL teams required to reach the 53-man roster limit by 5 p.m. (CT) Sunday, followed by two weeks of preparation for their regular-season opener Sept. 13 in Charlotte against the Panthers.
Bagent, meanwhile, will return to his role as Caleb Williams' backup after another stellar preseason during which he completed 74.4% of his passes for 377 yards with three TDs, one interception and a 119.3 passer rating.
"It feels good to execute," Bagent said. "This is my life's work. I take a lot of pride in what I do, and I love what I do. So being able to showcase that to the world, being able to make my family proud, it's all extremely special to me, and I don't take any of it for granted. It was a lot of fun out there tonight."
