Texans vs. Bears: J.J. Watt, Charles Tillman top Defensive Player of the Year candidates

Charles Tillman and J.J. Watt will both be showcased on Sunday Night Football in Week 10 -- and the pair of elite defenders both figure to be strong candidates for the Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler wants to match 'Super Bowl-caliber D'

Cutler wants to see the Bears' offense "pick up the pace" and match the play of their elite defense.

Chicago Bears fans drink Nashville dry

Bears fans drank several bars in Nashville dry after Chicago's 51-20 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

Chicago Bears' Charles Tillman forces four fumbles in victory

The Bears got four forced fumbles out of cornerback Charles Tillman on Sunday against the Titans.

Bears vs. Titans: Forcing turnovers 'contagious' for Bears

The Bears defense was strong once again on Sunday, forcing five turnovers and getting into the endzone for the seventh time this season.

Bears coach Lovie Smith hesitant to say this is the best team he's ever coached

The Chicago Bears are rolling right along and just blew out the Tennessee Titans, but coach Lovie Smith is hesitant to call this the best team he's ever coached.

Brian Urlacher praises Chicago Bears fans for support

Chicago Bears fans have traveled far and wide to show their support for their team this season, and linebacker Brian Urlacher has taken notice

Chicago Bears 51, Tennessee Titans 20: A Critical Reassessment

The Chicago Bears curb-stomped the Tennessee Titans to improve to 7-1 on Sunday. SB Nation Chicago's Ricky O'Donnell is starting to think these Bears feel special.

Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler talks about Brandon Marshall's big day

Cutler and Marshall were able to connect on big plays thanks to one-on-one coverage by the Titans.

Charles Tillman doesn't think Bears defense has peaked

The star cornerback thinks the Bears' defense can get even better.

The Bear Trap, Week 9: Urlacher, Tillman spearhead 31-point dismantling of Titans

The Bear Trap will one day get off to a rousing start, followed by taking the last quarter of the column off.

Chicago Bears' special teams makes impact vs. Titans

A blocked punt returned for a touchdown opened the scoring in Chicago's 51-20 dismantling of Tennessee.

Bears vs. Titans final score: Chicago's defense shines in 51-20 victory

The Chicago Bears' defense continues to put up points, and it continues to make the team incredibly difficult to beat. Behind another dominant defensive effort, the Bears crushed the Tennessee Titans 51-20 on Sunday afternoon, improving their record to 7-1 on the season.

With the Bears frequently getting huge plays from their defensive and special teams units early, the game was nearly out of reach for the Titans after just one quarter. Carrying a 28-2 lead into the second quarter, the Bears kept the defensive intensity up and turned to a conservative offensive game plan to ease into their sixth straight win.

The Bears' offense was especially quiet in the first half, but things came together in the second half as the Bears pulled away for good. Jay Cutler did practically nothing in the first 30 minutes, but he managed to finish with 229 passing yards and three touchdowns despite his early struggles.

Needing to turn to the passing game early to save time and make a rally, the Titans weren't able to get Chris Johnson going until late. The star running back was quiet for most of the game until reeling off an 80-yard touchdown run after the game was already out of touch in the fourth quarter.

Fantasy Studs/Duds: The Bears' usual suspects all put up solid numbers- Cutler (229 yards passing, 3 touchdowns), Matt Forte (148 total yards, 1 touchdown) and Brandon Marshall (9 catches, 122 yards, 3 touchdowns).

Johnson's final numbers for Tennessee are also impressive: 15 carries, 134 yards and 1 touchdown, plus 4 catches for 4 yards. Tennessee quarterback Matt Hasselbeck finished 19-of-33 for 195 yards with one touchdown and one interception. His top target was Kenny Britt, who caught five receptions for 67 yards.

For more on fantasy football, check out SB Nation's fantasy hub.

Odds/Gambling: The Bears were favored to win by 4.5 points, so they easily covered the spread. The over/under of 44 points was also covered, with the Bears putting up more than that on their own.

For more on odds, check out SB Nation's NFL odds page.

Injury Info: Bears lineman Israel Idonije and Henry Melton both left the game in the second quarter, but returned in the second half. Titans wide receiver Kendall Wright left in the second half with an elbow injury and ultimately did not return.

Next Up: The streaking Bears host a huge Sunday night game against the Houston Texans next week while the Titans head to South Beach to take on the Miami Dolphins.

For more on the Chicago Bears, check out Windy City Gridiron. To keep tabs on the Titans, check out Music City Miracles.

This story originally appeared on SBNation.com.

Bears vs. Titans score: Chicago leads Tennessee, 37-12, after 3rd quarter

The Chicago Bears are leading, 37-12, over the Tennessee Titans through three quarters on Sunday afternoon. Things have slowed down for Chicago after a hot start, but head coach Lovie Smith is likely quite content with that as the team eases into a 7-1 record.

Early in the third quarter, the Titans finally put together a quality drive, culminating with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Matt Hasselbeck to Nate Washington. Chicago hasn't allowed a score since then, but it also hasn't forced any more turnovers or big plays to pile on the damage.

While the offensive line has struggled at times this afternoon to protect quarterback Jay Cutler, allowing him to get sacked three times, it has done a strong job in the running game. The Bears have 130 yards on just 20 carries so far on Sunday, led by Matt Forte's 99 yards.

The other star running back in this game, Tennessee's Chris Johnson, has been kept mostly quiet thus far. The league's best run defense has held Johnson to just 54 yards on 14 carries.

Bears vs. Titans score: Chicago leads 31-5 at halftime

The Chicago Bears are leading 31-5 over the Tennessee Titans going into halftime after an eventful first quarter gave way to a much quieter second quarter on Sunday afternoon.

Four touchdowns highlighted a huge first quarter for Chicago, but the two teams simply traded field goals in the second quarter, with Tennessee's coming at the end of the half following a pair of near-interceptions by Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

The Titans have actually accumulated more total yards than the Bears so far on Sunday, 145-136, but turnovers and big special teams plays have ultimately dictated the game. The list of big plays that the Bears have made is almost startling: three fumble recoveries, a 44-yard punt return, an interception touchdown, a blocked-punt touchdown.

The final three plays listed above all directly led to scores, allowing the Bears to stick 21 points on the scoreboard while covering just 8 yards on offense. That has Tennessee trying to play catch-up, something that's going to be particularly difficult against this Bears defense.

Israel Idonije injury: Bears DE limps off field with apparent ankle injury

A left ankle injury has removed Chicago Bears defensive end Israel Idonije from the team's blowout of the Tennessee Titans on Sunday afternoon.

Bears vs. Titans score: Defense, special teams have Chicago leading 28-2 after one quarter

Unusually dominant performances by the defensive and special teams units of the Chicago Bears have led to a 28-2 advantage over the Tennessee Titans after just one quarter on Sunday afternoon.

The first big play came midway through the first quarter when defensive back Sherrick McManis got his hand on a Titans punt, which defensive end Corey Wootton corralled in at the 5-yard line before taking it in for the score. Soon afterward, a big punt return by Devin Hester set up an easy score by Matt Forte.

On the defensive end, Chicago continues to be a potentially special group. Tennessee has gotten only one first down while committing three turnovers, including an interception that Brian Urlacher returned for a touchdown and a fumble recovery by Chris Conte in the Titans' red zone.

The Bears' offense continues to be shaky, though, as evidenced by the lack of total yardage and a safety on a J'Marcus Webb penalty in the Titans' end zone, accounting for the safety. Chicago's two scores came as the result of other big plays – the punt return by Hester and the fumble recovery by Conte.

It may not matter, though:

Stat from Fox: Bears defense has scored 8 touchdowns this season. It's allowed 7.

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) November 4, 2012

Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler showed his softer side at Vanderbilt

Former Vanderbilt teammate discusses Jay Cutler's off-field softer side.

Bears vs. Titans NFL inactives: Alshon Jeffery still out with broken hand

The Tennessee Titans will once again be without quarterback Jake Locker in Week 9.

Locker remains out with a fracture to his non-throwing shoulder, an injury he suffered in Week 4. Locker has practiced the past two weeks. However, he has been very limited and is not expected to return until after the Titans' bye in Week 11.

The entire Tennessee Titans inactives for Week 9 are the following: Locker, guard Leroy Harris, linebackers Patrick Bailey and Will Witherspoon, tackle Byron Stingily, wide receiver Lavelle Hawkins and defensive tackle DaJohn Harris.

The Chicago Bears will be without wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Dane Sanzenbacher, guard Edwin Williams, defensive tackles Matt Toeanna and Amobi Okoye, tight end Brody Eldridge and defensive end Cheta Ozougwu.

Jeffrey has now missed three games following a broken hand he suffered against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5. Jeffrey had 184 yards and two touchdowns in five games this season.

Bears vs. Titans: Tennessee's defensive ends could give Chicago problems

Despite winning five straight games, the Chicago Bears better not look past the Titans this weekend, especially with Tennessee defensive ends Kamerion Wimbley and Derrick Morgan playing at a high level.

Chicago Bears LB Lance Briggs ready for Titans despite injured toe

The Bears linebacker has returned two interceptions for touchdowns in 2012 and is the team leader in tackles with 44.

Bears vs. Titans odds: Chicago a 3.5-point favorite

The Chicago Bears are currently a 3.5-point favorite on the road against the Tennessee Titans.

Chicago Bears will focus on shutting down Titans RB Chris Johnson

The Chicago Bears defense is No. 1 in the NFL against the run, but Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson is a threat to break off a long touchdown dash on any play.

Bears cornerbacks in historic territory

Chicago Bears cornerbacks Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings would make team history if they were both selected to the Pro Bowl.

Bears safety Chris Conte fined $21k for hit on Brandon LaFell

Chicago Bears safety Chris Conte was fined $21,000 for his hit on Carolina Panthers wide receiver Brandon LaFell.

Bears RB Matt Forte's touches limited by inconsistent offense, says Mike Tice

Offensive coordinator Mike Tice said on Thursday that Matt Forte's lessened workload over the last few games is due to Chicago's inability to sustain long drives.

Chicago Bears, Jay Cutler know offense is still work in progress

Quarterback Jay Cutler knows the Chicago Bears offense needs to improve, particularly early in games.

Chicago Bears CB Charles Tillman named NFC Defensive Player of the Month

Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman has been named NFC Defensive Player of the Month for October.