Chicago Bears: What to look for in big Week 2 game vs Texans

After an exciting and frustrating Week 1 victory at home, the Chicago Bears take on the Houston Texans. Here is what to look for in the game.

The Caleb Williams era started as a roller coaster ride for the Chicago Bears and their fans. Yes, the Bears had an exciting come-from-behind victory. However, WIlliams and the offense struggled throughout the game, managing only 148 total yards.

While Williams famously said that he never gets nervous before games, he looked pretty nervous in his opening game. He made some throws that sailed past his targets. Others were too wide. Yes, there were a couple of drops that did not help, and the offensive line had some struggles. However, he was shaky in his professional debut.

The one thing that was a positive for Williams was how he handled the struggles. He did not lose his confidence and he did not panic. The sideline reporter said during the game that she was most impressed with WIlliams’ calm demeanor the entire game.

After the game, Williams did not sulk over his struggle. He just wanted the win and he got it.

Obviously, we didn’t perform how we wanted to. We want to be the most efficient team out there, myself included. Didn’t perform the way I wanted to. I missed a few passes that I normally don’t miss. All these other things…I don’t care about stats. I feel great. To be honest with you, I feel great.

Now Williams and the Chicago Bears face the Houston Texans. Here is what to look for in the game.

Week 2 brings a big test

Week 1 was a test for Williams and the Chicago Bears offense. A kit if things went wrong but they kept battling. Another great thing about Williams was the fact that he did not commit a turnover. Last season, there were a few games that were close and decided by a key turnover. It is nice to see the offense go through a tough, close game and have the other team commit the key turnover.

Now, in Week 2, there is another test. They take to the road to face the Houston Texans and the reigning NFL Rookie of the Year, C.J. Stroud. Can Williams and the offense get their act together and compete against a playoff team from last season?

Stroud is where Williams wants to be. Sure, he says he does not care about stats. However, he will need those stats to win the award Stroud has. Additionally, with his struggles from last week, Williams wants to make up for it, and having a big game against the rough and tough Texans defense would be a big story for him and the Chicago Bears.

Williams wants to show that the doubters are wrong about him. Those doubters received some more material to use against him. He wants to have a good game and show he is ready to lead the Chicago Bears back to greatness.

Can the rushing game turn it around?

One of the troubles for the Chicago Bears last week was the running game unable to get going. D’Andre Swift, the free agent signee who came in to shore up the rushing game, struggled to find holes.

Swift had 30 rushing yards. However, he got 20 of them on one run late in the fourth quarter. It did help to seal the game, but he was bottled up for the entire game before that one run.

The Chicago Bears rushing attack was anemic. They totaled just 84 yards in the game. Last season, they failed to reach 100 yards in a game just four times. They want to show they can still run the ball without Justin Fields.

For most of the game, Williams was the leading rusher for the Chicago Bears. The more things change the more they stay the same, right? It is not a good thing when the quarterback and wide receiver, D.J. Moore, account for 34.5 percent of the total rushing yards in the game.

The Chicago Bears rushing attack needs to have a good game. If the running backs do their job, it takes some pressure off of Williams. He does not have to try to do more than he needs to lead a successful offense. Let’s see if that rushing game shows up against the Texans.

Can the wide receivers group overcome injury concerns?

As with the rest of the offense, the Chicago Bears wide receivers also struggled. They had just 93 receiving yards in the game. Moore led the group with 36 yards on five catches. He did make two catches that went for first downs.

Keenan Allen had four catches for 29 yards. However, he had a huge dropped pass late in the first half. The Chicago Bears, down 17-0 at the time, were driving and were in the Tennessee Titans’ six-yard line.

Wiliams made a perfect pass in the end zone for Allen. The usually sure-handed Allen was unable to reel it in. The Bears ultimately settled for a Cairo Santos field goal to finally put them on the board.

There are many who feel the Chicago Bears have the best wide receivers room in the league. They did not show that in their first game. Then, on top of that, rookie Rome Odunze, the ninth overall pick in this year’s draft, suffered a sprain of his MCL.

The Bers say that Odunze, who had one catch for 11 yards, is week to week. Expect the team to be careful with him.

There is also Tyler Scott. The second-year receiver was inactive in Week 1. With Odunze’s injury, expect Scott to be available. Even if Odunze plays, he will likely be on a snap count. That could open things up for Scott. With the Big Three receivers, Scott gets lost in the shuffle.

Moore and Allen have to step up to help Williams. If they can make the plays then it will make Williams look good. With them taking the attention, and with Odunze limited, Scott can be the wild card and make some big plays himself.

Can the pass rush build on its success from Week 1?

The big positive that came from Week 1 was the Chicago Bears’ defense. The pass rush was terrific. The Bears finished the game with three sacks. That was a great start for the pass rush. Last season, they averaged just 1.8 sacks per game, finishing with 39 and ranking 31st in the league.

That pass rush came in handy. In addition to the sacks, the Chicago Bears defensive linemen harassed Titans quarterback Will Levis. He was battered and bruised throughout the game. He took some big hits and it seemed to wear him down as the game progressed.

Levis was seen with a back brace while on the sideline. The pressure ultimately got to Levis. On the key play of the game, DeMarcus Walker pressured Levis. He was about to get the sack when Levis made a fatal mistake. He tried to flip the ball away. However, he flipped it to Tyrique Stevenson who took it for a pick-six.

That put the Chicago Bears on top for good. Tennessee had one last gasp but Levis threw another interception, this time to Jaylon Johnson.

The defense will need another big effort from the pass rush. Stroud can make some big plays with his arm. The Bears hope they can put pressure on him and force him to make some mistakes. If they do, they can certainly notch a huge win and really get the hopes in Chicago Bears Nation to rise even higher.

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