Bears Escape Nashville as Preseason Finale Sails Over the Number

The Bears took down the Titans 24-15 in Thursday night's preseason closer, and if you rode DarkHorse's under 37.5, you're cashing tickets and sleeping easy. Final tally of 39 points sailed just over the mark, but let's be real—this one played out exactly as advertised until it didn't.

For three quarters, we got the grind-it-out slog we expected. Third-stringers stumbled through possessions, drives stalled in neutral territory, and the scoreboard barely flickered. Chicago's depth chart got their reps, Tennessee's backups looked every bit as anemic as their regular-season counterparts, and the under seemed bulletproof. Then the fourth quarter happened. A garbage-time flurry—likely a couple quick strikes from guys fighting for roster spots—pushed the total just over the fence.

The miss stings, but only barely. We were one defensive stand or one conservative playcall away from nailing it. Preseason finales are supposed to be unwatchable slogs, and this one was—until desperation took over in crunch time. The Titans' offense remained toothless for most of the night, the Bears' stars stayed glued to the bench, and the game script followed our thesis until the final whistle made liars of us by two measly points. Tough break, but we'll take being right for 45 minutes over being wrong for 60.