If the Houston Texans can’t jump out to an early lead on Sunday night against the Chicago Bears, they could be in for a dogfight late.
That was the case for fellow AFC South roster Tennessee in a Week 1 24-17 loss at Soldier Field. Don’t let the scoreboard fool you, the Titans were up 17-3 at halftime before chaos ensued in the third quarter.
A blocked punt from former Texans standout Jonathan Owens led to a 21-yard touchdown. Second-year quarterback Will Levis threw a distasteful pass that was inter Tyrique Stevenson for a 43-yard pick.
Cario Santos drilled two fields to tack on six points while Levis heaved a late pass to Tyler Boyd that was picked off by Jaylon Johnson with 1:15 remaining.
So while Caleb Williams’ numbers looked pedestrian, it’s clear the defense and special teams can carry the load until the No. 1 overall pick becomes comfortable.
“They take the ball away,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Wedensday of Chicago’s pass coverage. “It’s really impressive the way they attack the football, both of their corners last week ended up with picks, to game-changing plays to give them the lead there and to end the game. So, we have to understand that those guys are ball hawks and we have to protect the football so that’s what they present.”
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The Bears allowed one touchdown in coverage but also held Tennessee to just 127 yards passing. It’s a credit to the pass rush forcing Levis to play uncomfortably.
On the pick-six, Levis tried to reset the play by chucking the ball out of bounds with DeMarcus Walker about to finish the sack. Instead, Stevenson grabbed it and ran it back for an easy score.
The Texans must prepare to defend C.J. Stroud against a violent front seven headlined by former Pro Bowl defensive end Montez Sweat. In Sunday’s 29-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts, Houston’s offensive line allowed four sacks and 10 quarterback hits.
Stroud, who finished 24-of-32 passing for 234 yards and two touchdowns, also threw two interceptions under pressure to Kenny Moore and JuJu Brents, though both were overturned. Moore was flagged with a holding call while Brents failed to keep his feet inbounds on the opening drive of the third quarter.
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“We’ve got to be cognizant of that and know that you’ve got to be careful with the ball because they won the game, pretty much, on defense last week,” Stroud said. “So, definitely a great defense. A lot of respect for those guys and can’t wait to compete against them.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. at NRG Stadium. The game will be nationally televised on NBC.
