Titans struggle in 19-7 loss to Bears
NASHVILLE — Chicago Bears coach John Fox thinks having a whole week to prepare for an opponent helped quarterback Mike Glennon turn in a strong performance.
How much Glennon helped himself in the competition for the starting job remains to be seen.
Glennon capped an opening 96-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Dion Sims as the Bears beat the Tennessee Titans 19-7 Sunday in the third preseason game for both teams.
“We’re very happy with the way Mike responded as far as a real game plan and what he did. I thought he played very well,” said Fox, who noted coaches will keep evaluating.
Glennon was 11-of-18 passing for 134 yards despite losing starting wide receiver Cameron Meredith late in the first quarter. Meredith was carted off with a suspected left ACL injury, which Fox said must be checked by an MRI exam first.
Having a week to prepare and study for an opponent fits Glennon’s strengths.
“That’s kind of what I pride myself on, being well-prepared and working hard through the week,” Glennon said.
Mitchell Trubisky, drafted No. 2 overall out of North Carolina this spring, opened the third quarter with Chicago’s starters. But Trubisky threw two incompletions as the Bears (2-1) went three-and-out, and he also fumbled a snap on his next series,
though he rebounded with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Tanner Gentry in the fourth quarter.
The Titans (1-2) had problem on offense, defense and special teams. The Bears would have
led 14-0 had Adam Shaheen controlled the ball before going out of bounds after Roy Robertson-Harris blocked a punt into the end zone early in the second quarter. Instead, Chicago led 9-0 after referee Ed Hochuli finally changed his ruling of a touchback to a safety.
The Titans were called for a handful of penalties in the game and gave up two sacks of Marcus Mariota, who finished 12-of-21 passing for 193 yards but was just 7-of-13 for 106 in the first half.
Tennessee’s offensive struggles prompted coach Mike Mularkey to keep his first team in until Mariota tossed the ball to Derrick Henry on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 3-yard touchdown that ended the shutout. Mularkey said he wanted the first team to finish the drive in a game that featured too many mistakes.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Mularkey said. “We’ve got two weeks to do it.”
The Titans started Adoree Jackson at right cornerback, the first start this preseason for the 18th overall pick out of Southern California. Glennon threw at Jackson on the Bears’ first play, a 9-yard completion to Zach Miller. Jackson also tackled Cameron Meredith at the end of a 28-yard catch on the opening drive. Sliding inside on passing downs, Jackson tackled former Titans receiver Kendall Wright on consecutive thirddown plays.
Then Jackson was flagged for interference in the end zone, and Glennon capped the 96-yard drive on the next play. Jackson, who’s trying to win the punt returner job, was tackled at his own 3 on his first attempt.