Chicago Bears coach John Fox says he doesn’t have a quarterback controversy. That could change, however, depending on what happens Sunday afternoon in Chicago’s third NFL preseason game as it visits the Tennessee Titans. The Bears are slight underdogs against the Titans for this Preseason matchup.
Another projected starting receiver, Eric Decker, also will sit this one out. He’s dealing with an ankle injury. On the bright side, Murray will play for the first time. Mularkey wouldn’t commit to how much playing time Murray or any of the other starters would get, but he did mention that it is important to have them come back after halftime to get ready for the regular season.
The Titans have removed WR Tajae Sharpe (foot) from the active/PUP. It means Sharpe is now eligible to practice after sitting out the start of camp recovering from June foot surgery. The fifth-round second-year player could get some first-team run with Decker and Davis out. Sharpe had 41 catches for 522 yards and 2 touchdowns as a rookie last season.
NFL Preseason Lines, Preview & Betting Pick on Chicago at Tennessee
When: Sunday, Aug. 27, 1 PM ET Where: Nissan Stadium, Nashville TV: Fox Radio: WBBM 105.9FM (Chicago) / WGFX FM 104.5 (Tennessee) Stream Option: NFL Live Opening NFL Preseason Lines: Titans -3 (43).@lscreeden shares a #BearsUpdate that includes a contract extension, Sunday’s QB gameplan and a visit from ‘The Sheriff.’ pic.twitter.com/NKLihgSY29
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 24, 2017
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Week 2 NFL Preseason Results
Chicago won in Arizona 24-23 to improve to 1-1. Bears starting QB Mike Glennon, after struggling in Week 1, played the entire first half and completed 13 of 18 passes for 89 yards. Glennon was picked off by Tyrann Mathieu as the Bears were threatening to score but bounced back to throw his first touchdown pass of the preseason. Rookie Mitch Trubisky was 6 for 8 for 60 yards and a score. He was sacked once and had a would-be interception dropped. Deonte Thompson returned a missed Arizona field goal 109 yards for a touchdown as the first half ended.How Well Did the Titans Do Last Week?
Tennessee is also 1-1 after beating Carolina 34-27 last week. QB Marcus Mariota, who finished 6 of 8 for 61 yards and one touchdown, completed a 20-yard pass to rookie receiver Taywan Taylor and then added a 9-yard run on the first two plays of the game. Tennessee built a 17-0 lead with 2:02 left in the first quarter. The Titans elected to hold out running back DeMarco Murray, who has been battling a hamstring injury but OK now.NFL Preseason Week 3 Must Bet Games
Trubisky Pushing Glennon
As noted above, Fox says Glennon is his starting QB Week 1 and here – and Glennon will start here and play the first half. However, Trubisky has played better than Glennon and will start the second half so he can play with the first team for the first time in the preseason. Glennon is 15-of-26 for 109 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in the preseason for a 48.4 passer rating. Trubisky has fared much better — albeit against lesser competition. The second overall pick has completed 24 of 33 pass attempts for 226 yards and two touchdowns for a 111.4 quarterback rating. Fox hopes the Titans’ defensive starters remain in the game after halftime on Sunday. “His performance has been good,” Fox said of the rookie. “To get a true evaluation and for us to look at him, I think you need to do this.” Fox said the organization has had Trubisky’s first-team cameo in the works for “a long time,” recognizing Sunday as the last opportunity for it. The starters are expected to sit out the exhibition finale. The Bears have lost potential backup running back Ka’Deem Carey for six weeks after wrist surgery. The injury will cost Carey at least the first 3-4 games of the season, and the Bears likely can’t afford to carry an injured backup running back for that long. If Carey does end up on injured reserve, the Bears would likely go with rookie Tarik Cohen, Benny Cunningham, and Jeremy Langford behind Jordan Howard.Titans Won’t Get First Look At Davis
Tennessee made Western Michigan’s Corey Davis the first receiver off the board in this year’s draft, and was hoping Davis might make his debut here. But he won’t. Titans coach Mike Mularkey had said that Davis remains on track to play in a preseason game, but it will have to be the finale. Davis has missed the Titans’ first two preseason games with a hamstring injury after recovering from ankle surgery all spring. Nevertheless, Mularkey said Davis’ recovery is “ahead of schedule.” Mularkey might be doing some coachspeak there as Davis didn’t practice Thursday, and he’ll be re-evaluated after this game.
Another projected starting receiver, Eric Decker, also will sit this one out. He’s dealing with an ankle injury. On the bright side, Murray will play for the first time. Mularkey wouldn’t commit to how much playing time Murray or any of the other starters would get, but he did mention that it is important to have them come back after halftime to get ready for the regular season.
The Titans have removed WR Tajae Sharpe (foot) from the active/PUP. It means Sharpe is now eligible to practice after sitting out the start of camp recovering from June foot surgery. The fifth-round second-year player could get some first-team run with Decker and Davis out. Sharpe had 41 catches for 522 yards and 2 touchdowns as a rookie last season.
NFL Preseason Game Trends
Bears are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall. Titans are 7-21- 2 ATS in their last 30 home games. Bears are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings.Chicago Bears vs. Tennessee Titans Game History
- Total Meetings: 12
- First Meeting: October 28th, 1973. Soldier Field. Chicago, Illinois
- Last Meeting: November 27th, 2016. Soldier Field. Chicago, Illinois
- All-Time Series: Tied 6-6-0
- Largest Margin of Victory: Tennessee 47-0 (1977)
- Longest Win Streak: Chicago 3 (1995-2004)
- Current Win Streak: Tennessee 1 (2016)
