Bears at Titans score: Tennessee defense shines early, withstands late Chicago rally in win

Big plays by A.J. Brown and Desmond King proved to be the difference

The Titans held a 24-3 fourth-quarter lead on Sunday, and that was large enough to withstand a late Bears rally and hang on for a 24-17 win. The game's big plays were turned in by Titans receiver A.J. Brown and new Tennessee cornerback Desmond King. Brown's 40-yard touchdown in the second quarter helped the Titans take a 10-0 halftime lead. King, who has yet to practice with his new team after being traded from the Los Angeles Chargers last week, stretched the Titans' lead to 17-0 after returning David Montgomery's fumble 63 yards for a score. 

With the win, the Titans improved to 6-2 while also snapping their two-game losing streak. Conversely, the Bears are now 5-4 after dropping their third consecutive game. 

Brown led the Titans' offense with 101 yards on four catches. Derrick Henry, after a slow start, ripped off a 26-yard run that set up the Titans' final score, a two-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Tannehill to Jonnu Smith with 5:10 left. Foles, who threw for 334 yards, responded with touchdown passes to Ryan Nall and Jimmy Graham in the final quarter. And while the Bears did put together three fourth-quarter scoring drives, their inability to cash in on earlier scoring opportunities proved too much to overcome.

Here's a closer look at what transpired on Sunday. 

Why the Titans won 

For three quarters, Tennessee enjoyed a stellar performance from its defense, as the Titans applied consistent pressure on Foles, who was sacked three times. Tennessee also contained Montgomery (who left the game after suffering a possible concussion) while holding the Bears to just 56 yards on 20 carries. Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons had a hand in both of the Titans' forced turnovers. His forced fumble of Montgomery set up King's touchdown. His recovery of receiver Anthony Miller's fumble late in the fourth quarter short-circuited a promising Bears drive. 

On offense, the Titans enjoyed a balanced offensive attack. They also took care of the ball while receiving two touchdown passes from Tannehill, who has now thrown 19 interceptions against just three interceptions this season. 

Why the Bears lost 

Chicago squandered too many scoring opportunities after crossing midfield. One of those opportunities came after linebacker Barkevious Mingo picked up a first down on Chicago's fake punt attempt at the start of the second quarter. The Bears punted four plays later after Montgomery was stonewalled on a third-and-two from the Titans' 45-yard-line. On their first possession of the second half, the Bears reached the Titans' 31-yard-line before two false start penalties forced another punt. 

As stated above, Chicago lacked balance on offense, as Foles threw a whopping 52 passes. The Bears did receive a solid performance from Foles along with Graham, Miller and receiver Allen Robinson, who combined to catch 18 passes for 195 yards. Defensively, the Bears continue to receive stellar play from linebacker Roquan Smith, who recorded one of the Bears' three sacks on Sunday while also leading the team in tackles. 

Turning point 

The Bears were threatening to score before King's scoop and score extended the Titans' lead to 17-0. The score was King's first career fumble return for a touchdown and his third career defensive score. 

Play of the game 

Brown's 40-yard touchdown reception was truly a thing of beauty. Brown, after dealing with a knee injury earlier this season, has now caught six touchdowns in the Titans' previous five games. 

Quotable 

"I think the forth down stops, those were huge … Those are hard to get. I think that was a huge momentum [play] at the beginning of the game." -- Titans coach Mike Vrabel on the play of his defense. The Titans started the game by stopping Montgomery for no gain after the Bears went for it on fourth-and-1 from Tennessee's 34-yard-line. 

What's next

The Bears will head back to Chicago to host the Vikings, who improved to 3-5 after beating the visiting Lions on Sunday. The Titans will stay at home next Sunday against the visiting Colts, who on Sunday fell to 5-3 after losing at home to the Ravens. 

Re-live Sunday's action in real time by checking out our live blog below. 

[Nov 8, 2020 at 4:32 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Thanks for following along with us today. Make sure to stay with CBSSports.com for all your NFL news throughout the week.

[Nov 8, 2020 at 4:05 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Bears aren't going down without a fight. Give credit to Foles, who has now completed at least three passes to eight different receivers. Foles has thrown a whopping 52 passes so far.

[Nov 8, 2020 at 3:49 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Nice scoring drive from the Bears, but it might be too little too late. If the Bears do fail to make up this deficit, the blame shouldn't be pinned on Foles. He's had a good game. It's hard to have success when you're not having success on the ground and defenses can focus on stopping the pass.

[Nov 8, 2020 at 3:37 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Bears defense picked a bad time to surrender a touchdown. Give credit to Tannehill on that drive, as he completed nearly as many passes on that drive (four) as he did on the Titans' previous eight drives. Bears will have to pretty much throw on every down now. Expect the Titans to continue to put the pressure on Foles, who has been sacked twice so far.

[Nov 8, 2020 at 3:31 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Henry finally busts a big run, a 26-yarder that gives the Titans the ball in Bears territory. Henry now up to 64 yards on 18 carries, but it's been good enough. Titans don't need to score here; pending a turnover, they're going to pin the Bears deep.

[Nov 8, 2020 at 3:20 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Titans take a 17-0 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Bears have entered the red zone for the first time. Anthony Miller had a solid third quarter, but the Bears' offense has pretty much become one dimensional. They've rushed for just 51 yards on 18 carries thus far. They need points here if they're going to have a shot at making this a game.