Bears trail Titans 17-3 at halftime in QB Caleb Williams' debut

Caleb Williams' NFL debut is on the brink of disaster at halftime as the Bears trail the Titans 17-3 on Sunday at Soldier Field.

Williams completed 8 of 14 passes for 53 yards and a 65.5 passer rating in the first half. One of his completions was wild – late in the first half, Williams threw a slant pass that hit a Titans player in the helmet, bounced in the air and was caught by rookie Rome Odunze as if he was scrambling for a rebound. Odunze fumbled as he landed, and Teven Jenkins recovered the ball for a nine-yard gain.

The Titans, considered one of the worst teams in the NFL, opened the scoring mode in the final minute of the first quarter when running back Tony Pollard ran for a 26-yard touchdown. Velus Jones dropped the ensuing kick return, fumbled the ball at his own 3 and kicked it forward, where it was recovered by the Titans 20 yards later. Titans kicker Nick Folk kicked a 40-yard field goal four plays later to increase the lead to 10 points.

A five-play drive resulted in another Bears punt, after which the Titans began a methodical 8-minute, 23-second touchdown drive that ended with Chig Okonkwo catching a 17-yard touchdown on first-and-goal.

With Jones no longer on the bench as kick returner, DeAndre Carter returned the next kickoff 67 yards. The Bears converted fourth down and one at the 25-yard line with two minutes left in the half, but ultimately settled for a 24-yard field goal by Cairo Santos.

Earlier, Bears new defensive end Darrell Taylor, who did not practice on Friday and was considered questionable for the team's opening game, was declared active and recorded his first sack.

Taylor was stepped on in Thursday's practice. The Bears traded him last month in hopes he would provide a better pass rush opposite Montez Sweat.

As expected, receivers Keenan Allen (heel) and Sweat (toe) will play. Defensive end DeMarcus Walker (groin) will also play.

The Bears have eliminated wide receiver Tyler Scott, linebacker Noah Sewell, tackle Kiran Amegadjie, center/guard Bill Murray and defensive end Dominique Robinson from the roster. Running back Roschon Johnson, who has been dealing with a toe injury but was fully fit to play Friday, is inactive.