Chicago Bears @ Houston Texans – Week 2 Game Preview: Overview, Keys to Game, Insights
The Bears began 2024 season with a win, battling back from a 17-0 deficit to defeat the Titans 24-17 at Soldier Field Sunday. Caleb Williams had a rough debut with only 93 passing yards as Chicago used a blocked punt and an interception return to score the two touchdowns that completed the comeback.
The Bears face a much stiffer test in Week 2 as they head to Houston for a matchup on Sunday Night football. The Texans won their opener against the Colts after a remarkable 2023 season that saw them go from the second worst record in football to a 10-7 mark and an AFC South division championship.
A major part of that turnaround was the performance of rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, who won offensive rookie of the year by throwing for 4108 yards and 23 touchdowns with just five interceptions. They put an exclamation point on the big season with a blowout win over Cleveland in the Wild Card round before losing in the Divisional round to the Ravens.
Overall, the Texans offense averaged 22.5 points a game in 2023 which was the 13th best in football. The running game was a weak spot last year but they addressed that by adding back Joe Mixon in free agency from the Bengals. The Mixon signing paid immediate dividends with him gaining 158 yards on the ground and scoring a touchdown against Indianapolis.
Houston only allowed 20.8 points per game on defense in 2023 thanks to a top-10 unit against the rush. The secondary was not so good ranking in the bottom third of the league last year. Top pass rusher Jonathan Greenard left for Minnesota in the off-season but first round pick Will Anderson had a very impressive rookie year with seven sacks and should be even better this year.
The Bears won in spite of themselves in Week 1 with the Titans making major mistakes helping to facilitate their comeback. They are going to have to play much better if they want to hang in this game. One of the biggest adjustments in the NFL is between the first and second weeks of the season, we are about to find out how much Chicago will benefit from that week.
Where to Watch/Listen
- Sunday, September 15 at 7:20pm CT on NBC, WBBM Radio (English), and WRTO Radio (Spanish).
Keys to Victory
Here are my keys to Sunday’s game. If these things happen, the Bears should have a shot to win.
- Try to contain Nico Collins in the passing game. Collins was Stroud’s go-to target in 2023, picking up 1297 yards and eight touchdowns before a leg injury ended his season in week 15. He had over 100 yards in his first game in 2024, so the Bears need CB Jaylon Johnson to earn his money and try to shut Collins down.
- Hold on to the football. The Texans had one of the best turnover margins in football, with 10 more takeaways than giveaways in 2023. As the underdog, Chicago cannot afford to turn it over if they want to stay in the game.
- Williams and the offense need to be better. The Bears only had 148 total yards against Tennessee, which is a shockingly small amount for any NFL team. Improved results obviously require a better performance from their young quarterback, who was under constant pressure but also made his share of mistakes in his debut. Hopefully, the USC product can be a bit more relaxed is his second appearance and get some better numbers.
Don’t Tell Me the Odds
The Texans are favored by 6.5 points in Houston against the Bears. Vegas has the over/under set at 45.5 expecting an average scoring total.
It’s Football Weather
NRG Stadium is a climate-controlled dome so weather won’t be a factor in this one.
My Prediction
This is going to be a major step up in opponent quality for the Bears after facing a bad Titans team. I think they will look better offensively but the outcome of the game will be worse. Houston will eventually take home a 24-14 victory in prime time.
Official Bears Preview
Jeff Joniak and Tom Thayer preview the Bears next matchup against the Texans in the latest episode of the Bears, etc. podcast.
