The Chicago Bears are 1-0 but if they play as poorly as they did against the Tennessee Titans they’ll get blown out by a well-balanced Houston Texans offense.
The Chicago Bears face off against the Houston Texans on the road in a primetime matchup that is going to severely test the Chicago Bears defense. Last year the Texans seemed to be carried by CJ Stroud, this year it could already be argued that they are a well-balanced offensive attack after running back Joe Mixon won AFC offensive player for the week honors. Mixon tallied 159 yards on the ground on 30 carries and clinched the game with a go-ahead touchdown run of 40 yards.
Joe Mixon's dynamite Texans debut earns him AFC Offensive Player of the Week ahead of primetime game https://t.co/unRFMUyumf
— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) September 11, 2024
Last week the Bears proved to be very vulnerable against the run giving up 140 yards on the ground to the Tennessee Titans. The Titans also managed two drives of 73 and 89 yards before the defense put the Titans on lock down and made a historic comeback with two touchdowns, one off a blocked punt and the other off a pick-6.
In the passing game the Texans tallied 234 yards and 2 touchdowns from second year QB CJ Stroud will set up a week 2 test that will truly determine how optimistic fans should be about the Bears defense.
On offense the Texans have three capable play makers at the wide receiver position. Nico Collins racked up 117 yards on six catches, in week 1. Stephon Diggs scored the two touchdowns in the game in his Texans debut and continues to be one of the top receivers in the NFL. While Tank Dell is a more than capable third option as he had 709 yards and seven touchdowns a year ago.
On the offensive line the Texans are anchored by four-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil. He could be the key Bears entire defensive approach if Montez Sweat can take advantage of his recent struggles. Tunsil had a shaky debut allowing two sacks in week 1 against the Colts.
The Bears will have to key in on Mixon. Andrew Billings had a dominant week 1 performance against the Titans and will need to continue that success for the Bears to have a chance on the road. He leads a front seven attack that led the NFL in run defense a year ago.
Helping out the pass rush last week in his Bears debut was newly acquired defensive end Darrell Taylor. Taylor was dominant in his debut collecting two sacks using his speed off the edge.
Darrell Taylor in his Bears debut:
🔵 78.6 PFF grade
🟠 3 pressures
🔵 2.0 sacks
🟠 2 run stops
🔵 1 forced fumble pic.twitter.com/fb3fnRtFqM— PFF CHI Bears (@PFF_Bears) September 10, 2024
For the Chicago Bears linebackers TJ Edwards tallied a game high 15 tackles in week 1. Edwards is filling in that familiar weak-side linebacker role that Lance Briggs made famous over the course of his Bears career. Edwards and Trumaine Edmunds will have to step up their overall game this week because their performance wasn’t up to snuff like last year.
The Bears secondary will have the biggest test. The Bears won most of their games last year primarily by forcing turnovers. Meanwhile CJ Stroud is almost immune to turnovers after only giving away 5 total interceptions a year ago. Can the Bears secondary force Stroud to make mistakes in the passing game? It doesn’t seem very likely and that will put a ton of pressure on the Bears to keep the game close.
The game last week showcased the talent the Bears have in the secondary, with corners Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson. Stevenson earned NFC defensive player of the week honors for his four tackle, two pass break up pick-6 performance. While Johnson also collected an interception while logging a 92.3 PFF grade the highest on the team in week 1.
Johnson looked like one of the best CBs in the NFL over the last decade the way he locked down receivers in week 1. If Johnson continues to play at such a high level over a long period time it could be him in position to earn massive accolades over the course of his career. A massive contract extension did nothing to slow down his hunger and desire to be among the best in the NFL.
The Bears probably face their biggest test with this road game against the Texans. The Texans can beat you two ways on the ground or through the air and they don’t make mistakes by turning the ball over. So the Bears will have to put together one of the best defensive efforts of the Matt Eberflus era to give themselves a chance in Houston.
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