The Chicago Bears (1-1) will battle the Houston Texans (0-1-1) on Sunday, where they’ll be looking to rebound following a brutal loss in Week 2.
Following Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers (1-1), the Bears have concerns with their passing offense and run defense. But they’ll look to get back on track against a winless Texans team.
Will Chicago get back in the win column against the Texans? Our Bears Wire staff shares their game picks for Sunday’s matchup.
Alyssa Barbieri (1-1): Bears 20, Texans 13
This is the perfect opportunity for the Bears to get back in the win column. After back-to-back games against playoff caliber teams, Chicago welcomes a winless Texans squad that’s more on their level of play – and with similar philosophies on offense and defense. They both have a defensive-minded head coach; they both have some of the worst offenses in the NFL; they’re both scoring just 14.5 points per game; and they have some of the same weaknesses. Most notably in run defense, where we should expect to see a whole lot of ground-and-pound by both sides as David Montgomery and Dameon Pierce should be set up for big days.
After Justin Fields attempted just 11 passes, the hope is Luke Getsy will open things up against a Houston secondary allowing 270.5 passing yards per game. Although the Texans have only allowed 18 points per game, and have allowed touchdowns on just 28.57% of their opponent’s red zone opportunities. While Chicago will lean on the run game, getting Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet involved will be key, and this is the perfect game to start airing it out downfield.
Following last Sunday’s sloppy loss, the Bears will be looking to clean things up both on offense and defense. They need to limit the self-inflicted mistakes and win the battle in the trenches. While this is in no way a gimme game for the Bears, Chicago gets the edge at home against a team trending in a similar direction.
Brendan Sugrue (0-2): Bears 27, Texans 14
For the first time this year, the Bears are facing adversity. Even though the games didn’t count, they were undefeated in the preseason and surprised everyone with a victory in Week 1 of the regular season. But after getting their teeth kicked in and suffering a loss against the Packers, how will this team respond? My prediction is they’re going to come out with a vengeance.
Matt Eberflus and his staff preached all week about getting back to the fundamentals and fixing the errors that plagued them in Green Bay. This coaching staff seems like one that actually knows how to make adjustments and they’re going against a Houston Texans team that is surrendering over 433 yards per game. It’s the perfect chance to get the offense on track. As for the Bears defense, the Texans offense doesn’t scare anyone with limited playmakers, meaning the Bears defense should have a much better time containing them.
If football games were only three quarters long, the Texans would be 2-0. Unfortunately for them, that’s not the case. These teams are going to be fairly evenly matched up for much of the game, but the Bears have shown an ability to both clamp down on defense and find some offense in the fourth quarter during their two games this season. Expect a late surge by the Bears to put this one away and hand Lovie Smith his third loss in a row against his former team.
Ryan Fedrau (2-0): Texans 17, Bears 14
In Lovie Smith’s return to Chicago, he’s going to beat the Bears. Despite Chicago looking good in the first quarter against Green Bay, the wheels fell off the bus quickly and the play-calling got questionable.
This game is going to be close, but I don’t think highly of the Bears offense after two weeks. They need to improve in the passing game and continue to run the ball well. If they throw the ball well against Houston they’ll win, unfortunately, I don’t see much changing in such a short period of time.
Jarrett Bailey (1-1): Bears 21, Texans 13
Neither of these teams have much to write home about. Both will likely be vying for a top five pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. While Luke Getsy is already irritating fans with his questionable playcalls, Justin Fields is good enough to overcome a Texans team that lacks star power. Expect at least one interception from this Bears defense, and a surprising 2-1 start for Chicago.
