Chicago Bears Score and Recap (Week 2): Texans 19, Bears 13 – Williams Under Siege Behind Bad O-Line in Loss
The Bears traveled to Houston Sunday night to take on the Texans in prime time. Chicago had major offensive line issues for a second consecutive week but were unable to create any defensive or special teams touchdowns, like they did against the Titans, and went down to a 19-13 defeat.
The Texans took the opening kickoff and drove into Bears territory before Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked a 56-yard field goal to put them ahead 3-0. Caleb Williams was able to get some traction on Chicago’s first drive getting them into range for Cairo Santos to tie the game with a 53-yard boot.
C.J. Stroud brought Houston down the field and hooked up with Nico Collins for a 28-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second quarter to give the home team 10-3 lead. Fairbairn added a 47 yard field goal to increase the advantage to 13-3 with time winding down in the half.
The Bears responded with probably their best drive of the season, going 49 yards with the help of a pass interference penalty by the Texans to set up a goal to go situation. Khalil Herbert punched in a 2-yard touchdown run to bring his team within three at 13-10 with just 32 seconds left before halftime.
That turned out to be too much time for Stroud, who drove his team into field-goal range for the almost automatic Fairbairn who drilled a 59-yard kick to put Houston on top 16-10.
The second half was a defensive battle with both teams turning over the ball multiple times and no one scoring a point in the third quarter. The Texans intercepted Williams early in the fourth quarter which led to another three points on a 53-yard field goal and 19-10 score.
The Bears quarterback took an absolute beating behind his porous offensive line but positioned his team for a 54-yard Santos kick which made it a one-score game, 19-13, with three minutes left. Matt Eberflus’ defense was able to stop Stroud and get the ball back with just over a minute left and a chance for an unlikely upset.
Williams was completely under siege on the last ditch drive and took several big hits. Chicago were stopped on fourth down and the Texans hung on to win 19-13. (Box score)
Why the Bears Lost
The offensive line is a huge problem for this team and it is derailing the entire offense right now.
Key Moment
The Bears kicked off their final drive with Williams hitting Rome Odunze for a long gain. Unfortunately, the pass blocking completely fell apart after that and the drive stalled.
Stats That Matter
- Williams threw for 174 yards, he showed signs of improvement but there is still a long way to go and he was intercepted twice, something he avoided in Week 1.
- The Bears struggled to get anything going with the ground game running for just 71 yards on 22 carries.
- The Texans collected seven sacks on Sunday night.
Bottom Line
It’s an absolute head scratcher why Chicago’s front office did so little to solidify the offensive line before the season. To leave a potential franchise quarterback this badly exposed is almost malpractice. It probably should be addressed quickly to make sure Caleb Williams stays relatively upright the rest of the season.
Next Up
The Bears head to Indianapolis for a Week 3 matchup with the Colts Sunday at 12:00pm CT with a broadcast on CBS.
