NFL Week 2: Texans vs. Bears Preview

Source: Jamal Hill #56 of the Houston Texans tackles Demetric Felton Jr. #38 of the Chicago Bears during the second half of the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game at Tom Benson Hall Of Fame Stadium on Aug. 1, 2024 in Canton, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)

HOUSTON — After coming away with the win in their Week 1 matchup versus the Indianapolis Colts, the Houston Texans are gearing up for their home opener against the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football.

Sunday’s matchup will be a rematch of the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game from back in August, which opened the NFL season. The Bears walked away victorious in the storm-shortened 21-17 game where few starters played. This Sunday gives us a proper rematch between the two young teams that have been slightly linked in recent years.

Both team have benefitted greatly from the Texans’ Week 18 victory over the Colts during the 2022-23 season, all thanks to a shared former head coach; Lovie Smith. Smith coached the Texans for that single season, and led the Bears from 2004 to 2012.

Source: Houston Texans head coach Lovie Smith stands on the sideline during an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns at NRG Stadium on December 4, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

With 58 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Texans quarterback Davis Mills fired a pass 28 yards to wide receiver Jordan Adkins for the touchdown to put Houston down single point. Instead of going for the extra point to likely send the game to overtime, Smith elects to go for two. Mills would find Adkins again for the score, and the Texans would go on to win the game after time expired on the Colts following drive. The win allowed the Bears, who’s loss to the Vikings gave them the worst record in the league, to secure the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The Bears would trade the pick to the Carolina Panthers for a haul that netted them their star wide receiver D.J. Moore and the Panthers’ 2024 first round pick that became quarterback Caleb Williams. The Panthers picked quarterback Bryce Young, which meant quarterback C.J. Stroud would fall to the Texans at No. 2. Stroud has been tremendous for Houston; Young has been very underwhelming.

Since the 2023 NFL Draft, Stroud has helped turn the Texans into one of the NFL’s most exciting young teams, and the Bears have positioned themselves to be another team on the rise – as long as Williams pans out. With the scene on how these teams got here set, let’s dive into the matchup:

The X-Factors

Texans

Stroud: The second-year star had a strong performance against the Colts in Week 1, completing 75% of his passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns without any turnovers. What Stroud has working against him this week however is a much better defense than what the Colts had. The Bears are often regarded as one of the best defenses in the league, despite their pass rush being a bit shaky.

Source: C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans warms up before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 8, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

However, if Stroud is able to lead the Texans on some successful scoring drives early and take care the ball as he does so well, it could put too much pressure on the young Bears signal caller to replicate similar success.

Collins and Diggs: The dual WR1 tandem was deadly in the first game of the season. Even though wide receiver Stefon Diggs had only 33 receiving yards, he found the end zone twice. Wide receiver Nico Collins made several big plays against the Colts, including a 55-yard reception over two defenders. He finished the game with 117 receiving yards.

What’s working against the pair is one of the NFL’s best secondaries, and Collins’ illness which left him limited in Thursday’s practice. Their ability to make plays will be key to keeping the Bears at bay.

Pass rush: Last season, the Texans’ pass rush ranked third in the NFL in win rate at 52%, despite the defense being middle of the pack overall. Second-year defensive end Will Anderson Jr. and company shouldn’t have too much trouble putting pressure on the Bears’ Williams, as long as the Bears offensive line puts up a similar performance in Week 1. At times the line allowed defenders to get to Williams too quickly, leading to costly sacks and little offensive production for Chicago overall.

Bears

The secondary: The Bears possess one of the best secondaries in the league, led by cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson. The unit was able to keep the Bears in the game against the Titans and even seal the win, as Stevenson scored on a 43-yard pick-six play to put the Bears ahead. They’ll have to bring their A-game against the explosive Texans offense, as Stroud and his receivers are a much more potent offense capable of tacking on big plays to drives while committing very few turnovers.

Source: Tyrique Stevenson (29) of the Chicago Bears celebrates after returning a fumble recovery for a touchdown during the game between the Tennessee Titans and the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on September 8, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Ben Hsu/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Moore: The Bears’ wide receiver core has been one of the more highly-anticipated developments of the NFL season, with the additions of star receiver Keenan Allen and rookie Rome Odunze. Allen didn’t practice Thursday due to a heel injury and Odunze, dealing with an MCL sprain, isn’t expected to play Sunday. While Allen’s status is still something to monitor, there is potentially a very heavy burden set upon Moore, being possibly the lone member of Chicago’s supposed three-headed monster to suit up.

Williams: Despite the win, Williams’ NFL debut couldn’t have gone much worse for the first-overall pick. The rookie completed a lowly 48.3% of his passes, with just 93 yards passing and a 28.6 QBR rating. Unfortunately for Williams, he will be up against an elite Texans pass rush that could have him scrambling around much of the night. He’ll need to be a lot better this week, as the Bears can’t rely of the defense and special teams to score every week. SNF could be the stage for a breakout performance, or a consecutive poor performance, this time in primetime.

Prediction

The Texans are a proven team in this league, while the Bears are not. Houston doesn’t have as much pressure to perform and already knows who they are as a team coming into Sunday’s game. The only real concern is tight end Dalton Schultz‘s sprained ankle, but otherwise have a pretty sparse injury report as far as key players are concerned. Chicago may be without two starting receivers and some injuries to linemen on both sides of the ball could leave them pretty short handed.

Source: Quarterback Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears carries the ball during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, at Soldier Field on September 8, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)

It hurts to write this as a hometown Bears fan, but the Texans will likely win this game by a couple possessions, as Williams and the Bears offense may not be ready for the bright lights on Sunday night. The Texans host the Bears at 7:20 p.m. Sunday at NRG Stadium on NBC.