The Tennessee Titans hope to keep alive the string of Week 1 No. 1 overall quarterbacks starting their careers with a loss.
The past 10 No. 1 QBs to start Week 1 -- Bryce Young, Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray, Jameis Winston, Andrew Luck, Cam Newton, Sam Bradford, Matthew Stafford and Carson Palmer -- combined for an 0-9-1 record in their debuts. The lone non-loss came from Murray in a 27-27 tie against Detroit.
Not only have there been zero victories for No. 1 QBs in Week 1 since David Carr in 2002, but there have also been some ugly performances.
With that backdrop, the Titans head to Chicago to face Caleb Williamsand the revamped Bears.
On Monday, Tennessee's new coach, Brian Callahan, glowed about the rookie quarterback.
"He's everything a No. 1 pick you would expect to be," Callahan said, via The Tennessean. "You have to treat him as such and treat him with that kind of respect. Obviously you have to earn that in this league. He's got to do it in regular-season games. I just hope it isn't in the first week."
Williams earned a 96 overall draft score according to the 2024 Next Gen Stats draft model, the second-highest overall score of any quarterback prospect since the 2003 NFL draft.
Williams flashed big-play potential in the preseason, showing the same knack for off-schedule and improvised plays he displayed at the University of Southern California. Even a UCLA grad like Callahan can appreciate Williams' dynamic ability.
"I'm a huge fan of Caleb Williams and what he did at USC," Callahan said. "I've watched him over the years. Really dynamic player. It's really fun as a fan of quarterbacks to watch him play."
The Titans will try to make life difficult on the rookie QB out of the gate. Williams got his feet wet primarily facing bland coverage and backups in the preseason. Sunday, he'll see the Titans starters -- including a revamped secondary -- and a defense that will disguise its pressures and coverages to try and confuse the rookie.
