Bears beat the Titans 27-24 behind 3 TD catches from Jesper Horsted

Mark it down, Bears vs Titans, August 28, 2021 shall forever be known as the Jesper Horsted game!

The 2021 preseason is over for both the Chicago Bears and the Tennessee Titans, and these two teams closed it out with an exciting 27 to 24 victory by the Bears.

Let’s get on with the recap!

This was almost waste of time for Justin Fields

The Bears defense wasn’t getting off the field, and they even scored a TD of their own, so Justin Fields and Chicago’s first half offense was only out there for 8 minutes and 30 seconds.

Thankfully he got to shine in their two minute drill and this TD pass to Jesper Horsted was a thing of beauty.

Fields ended his half running twice for 13 yards, and he passed it 10 times, completing 7, for 54 yards, that 1 TD, and a passer rating of 116.2.

Jesper Horsted TE1?

I kid, but Horsted capped off a fine offseason with three TD catches (on 5 receptions for 104 yards) against the Titans, and he’s really the only true back up tight end at the U position. I think it’s possible he’s cut, but most definitely brought back to the practice squad to essentially back up Jimmy Graham.

But would he make it back through waivers?

Chicago’s starting offensive tackles

Jason Peters and Germain Ifedi got the start at left and right tackle respectively and… let’s just say it wasn’t awful. Ifedi gave up a sack on the Bears first pass play, but overall these two had some decent moments sprinkled into their half of football. I noticed Peters’ strong hands a few times, so once he gets into complete football shape, and if he stays healthy, there could be something there.

The o-line overall…

I have some concerns. This unit is going to take some time to gel, and if there’s an injury or another issue causing them to dip into their depth, this could be a train wreck. The starting o-line wasn’t getting much push up front in the run game, and their interior was getting worked by the Titan D.

Eddie Goldman

In the first series the Bears big nose tackle made an impact by clogging up the middle. He had a tackle, and he pushed the pocket back on third down. He wasn’t in the game long, but he seems ready. It’ll be good to see him back this year for the Bears.

Danny Trevathan with a pick!

Danny T was out there knocking some rust off, and he looked solid, but I wonder if he wanted to play because he was feeling the buzz that Alec Ogletree has been getting.

Matt Barkley revenge game

For a second consecutive week the Bears faced a former QB, but this time they fared much better. The Bears’ D held Barkley to 7 of 15 passing for 126 yards and an interception.

Trevis Gipson made an impact all preseason

The Bears may have found another good player on the third day of the draft, as the 2020 fifth round outside linebacker had a couple QB hits, one of which directly led to a Tre Roberson interception.

Nick Foles was slinging it!

Now some QB needy team come give the Bears a day three draft pick, please.

Teams cut down to 53 on Tuesday…

…and the Bears better be scouring over the wire for some young talent and looking for some free agents at both cornerback and the offensive line.

I’m not impressed with any of their current options at the number two corner or nickelback spot, and they might get lucky and land a Josh Sitton type of cut on the o-line.

And for the record, I’m feeling the pressure to live up to the stellar standards that Patti Curl has set for our immediate post game recap here at WCG. She had a flag football game tonight, but no worries as she’ll be back for week one!