Trailing the Titans 17-3 in their season-opener at Soldier Field Sunday, the Bears were searching for a spark coming out of halftime.
During the break, coach Matt Eberflus saw a different attitude in the locker room compared to other teams he's been around — one reflective of the tight-knit culture created across the organization this offseason and preseason. He witnessed the players look each other in the eye and say "we got this."
The players felt it, too. Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. looked around the room and didn't see a single teammate with their head down. Safety Jonathan Owens told players the biggest thing was to keep the belief. Defensive end Daniel Hardy saw a group of leaders who didn't place blame, but encouraged their counterparts.
"Nobody flinched [at halftime]," Hardy said. "Nobody was getting on anybody. Nobody was blaming anybody else. We were saying 'we got this, we know what we have to do, we just gotta make some small adjustments, play together, back everybody up.' That's all it was. Nobody flinched. We just kept going out there, looking to make plays."
The Bears weren't at all concerned about whether a game-changing play would be made. They just weren't sure who would swing the momentum.
After the Bears' first offensive drive of the second half stalled, the defense allowed just six plays on the Titans' ensuing possession, forcing a punt on fourth-and-15 from Tennessee's 33-yard line.
Based on the special teams unit's film study of the Titans leading up to Sunday's game, the group had an inkling they were due a big play.
"We knew we were going to block it all week just the way we prepped for it," cornerback Tyrique Stevenson told reporters. "Most of the guys, we already knew what it was, we just didn't know who was going to do it."
The playmakers this time around were Hardy and Owens — two defensive reserves who have proven their value on special teams.
As Titans long snapper Morgan Cox snapped the ball back to punter Ryan Stonehouse, Hardy darted up the middle. He muscled past linebacker Jack Gibbens, extended his left arm and made contact with the football just as it left Stonehouse's foot.
The first thing that went through Hardy's mind was a wave of relief, knowing he avoided hitting the kicker and, therefore, avoided a penalty. His next thought was, "where is it? Gotta scoop it, it's live."
Out of the corner of his eye as he hit the ground, Hardy saw the ball dribble a few yards away, where it was scooped up by Owens, who had been rushing from the edge. The safety didn't see the block but heard it and immediately saw the ball bouncing around.
Owens reacted instantaneously and took off, beating out Titans safety Mike Brown to pick up the ball on the run. Owens' only thought was "take off and run. Full speed."
Owens described the situation as "too perfect," as no Titans player was close enough to tackle him as he sprinted 21 yards into the end zone for the Bears' first touchdown of the season.
While the crowd erupted, sending waves of energy through Soldier Field, Owens couldn't fathom what had occurred while teammates swarmed him in the end zone.
"I get in the end zone and it didn't really feel like real life for a second. That's why I'm kinda looking back like, 'did I just — did I just score?' It was a great feeling."
Back at the 21-yard line, Hardy shot up from the ground and "just went nuts" as he watched his teammate finish off his first-ever blocked punt and the Bears' first blocked punt return for a TD since 2012.
"I'm just happy I got to help the team," Hardy said. "We were in chapel the other night and we were talking about if the eyes tried to do what the nose does, if the nose tried to do what the mouth does, it doesn't work. This was the job I was given, and I was happy I was able to execute and help the team win today."
Owens' scoop and score closed the Bears' deficit to 17-10 with just over nine minutes left in the third quarter. While the Bears defense had just come off the field, the touchdown rejuvenated the unit and kicked off a series of splash plays.
"It's almost like we were waiting for someone to make that big play," Owens said. "I was just thankful and blessed that I was able to be the one to make that spark play for the team that helped switch the momentum. After that, defense got rolling, crowd was back into the game, and we didn't look back from there."
After the Bears forced three-and-outs on the Titans' next two possessions, they created takeaways on Tennessee's first two drives of the fourth quarter, both of which led to points.
Recently acquired defensive end Darrell Taylor recorded a strip-sack of Titans quarterback Will Levis, where linebacker T.J. Edwards recovered the fumble. Stevenson then gave the Bears their first lead of the afternoon with a pick-six caused by defensive end DeMarcus Walker hitting Levis as he threw the ball.
"That was big time," Edwards said of the blocked punt's ripple effect. "I felt like special teams all day was just dominant. They were flipping the field. Punt return game was awesome, kickoff, and that blocked punt was huge. Anytime you get those big swings, it only boosts you and we [needed] those."
Owens said while the touchdown return, which was his second NFL score, is "definitely up there" in terms of his career moments, it means more to the safety from a team perspective.
For Owens, the Bears' comeback victory to start the 2024 season symbolized the "culture change" within the locker room.
"We really wanted to come in and set the tone early in the season," Owens said. "It's amazing to do that. To start 1-0, it's a great feeling — just a morale boost for everybody. And it was a team win. That's the big thing for us."
