Punting on first down on every offensive possession would have been quite the head-coaching debut for Brian Callahan, but Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears may have gone a bit better for his Tennessee Titans if they did so.

"We were playing so good on defense," he told reporters Monday when discussing the 24-17 loss. "It's almost as if we just punted it on first-and-10 every time, we might've won the game the way that we gave it away."

It's an amusing sentiment, but Tennessee's defense held rookie quarterback Caleb Williams to just 93 passing yards and the Chicago offense as a whole to 148 total yards.

The AFC South team was in complete control with a 17-0 lead late in the second quarter, and the defensive effort was a primary reason why. At that point, it was up to the offense to just not screw things up in the second half.

That is exactly what happened.

The biggest play of the game came in the fourth quarter after the Bears cut the deficit to 17-16. Titans quarterback Will Levis was under significant pressure and just flipped the ball toward the sidelines, where Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was waiting to pick it off and return it for the winning touchdown.

It was a shocking turn of events, and even Bears defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker had some advice for Levis:

Punting on first down on that possession could have saved the game for the Titans, but it should be noted the contest largely turned on a special teams blunder by the visitors.

Chicago was trailing 17-3 in the third quarter when Jonathan Owens scooped up a blocked punt and returned it for a touchdown. After the husband of gymnastics legend Simone Biles gave the home team significant momentum from the play, the Bears outscored the Titans 14-0 in the fourth quarter.

At least Tennessee can take solace knowing its defense looked formidable in the season opener.

That is something to build on as it looks to compete in an AFC South that was just 1-3 on Sunday. But Levis, who threw two interceptions against the Bears, will have to be much better if the Titans are going to challenge C.J. Stroud's Houston Texans, Trevor Lawrence's Jacksonville Jaguars and Anthony Richardson's Indianapolis Colts the rest of the way.

Because Tennessee likely isn't going to win just by punting the ball.