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Weird game for them against the Bears. The Titans' offense had just 11 first downs, and Derrick Henry ran for 68 yards on 21 carries. Tennessee mostly relied on big plays to A.J. Brown, who was terrific. Defensively, Jeffery Simmons was disruptive once again. The Titans have a big one Thursday night against the Colts.

The defense played a little better against the Bears, which is progress. That unit has to continue to grow with a key game against the Colts Thursday night.

Offense hasn't been same in three weeks since perennial Pro Bowl LT Taylor Lewan went down for the year, scoring 10 points fewer per game during his absence.

Recalibrated expectation: Deep postseason run

The expectation remains the same for the Titans -- go deep in the playoffs. Tennessee has some defensive issues to work out, but it remains one of the top teams in the AFC. The Titans are poised to make another of their late-season surges with Derrick Henry leading the way. It starts with winning the AFC South so they can host playoff games at Nissan Stadium. If the Titans have to go on the road, Tennessee's pack-and-play approach will keep it in most games because it includes establishing the run, winning the turnover battle and consistently scoring touchdowns in the red zone. -- Turron Davenport

The Titans needed a commanding performance from their defense, and that's exactly what they got in Sunday's 24-17 win over the Bears. Newly acquired cornerback Desmond King made an instant contribution with the game-breaking fumble return for a score, and the defense did a much better job getting off the field. The Titans held the Bears to 2-for-15 on third downs (13.3%); this came after a hideous two-week stretch in which the Steelers and Bengals converted 23-of-33 third downs (69.7%) in a pair of Titans losses. The question becomes whether the defense has finally started to figure it out ... or if this was more a case of Tennessee getting the better of an anemic Bears offense. A Thursday night showdown against the Colts will give us more insight.