The Chicago Bears play host to the Houston Texans on Sunday afternoon from Soldier Field in an interesting week two matchup. Both of these teams shocked many in week one, with the Bears grabbing the win against the 49ers and the Texans tying the Colts. Both came back to reality last week, as both grabbed losses, putting an added emphasis on righting the ship this week. The two teams last played in 2020, with Chicago coming away with a dominant 36-7 win. There's no doubt they'll be looking to replicate that success, though the Texans aren't going to make it easy for them.
For the Texans, it has been a rough few years navigating being one of the league's worst teams, but things could be turning around. They were able to tie the Colts in week one, which was a massive confidence builder for this group. Whil they lost last week to Denver, they kept it within one score, which shows that this group has the talent to compete and this week could be when they see that first win. Going to Chicago is never easy to ask of a group, though with the Bears looking lucky to make it to .500 on the season, as well as somewhat rattled after losing to the Packers last week, the Texans will like their chances to spring the upset.
One issue for Houston is their inability to get key players healthy. With one of the longest injury lists in the league, they've already rule out nine players for Sunday, including some key pieces on the defensive line. The most notable name is Davis Mills (thumb), though w ith the quarterback trending towards probable, that's huge news for their outlook on Sunday's game.
Second-year QB matchup coming ??
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) September 22, 2022
As mentioned earlier, Mills has been the leader for this group on the offensive side over the last few seasons and having him trending towards probable is good news. The lack of a consistent running game remains a massive concern for this group going forward though. Their inability to control the clock will continue to haunt them and with limited playmakers, taking care of the ball is a must as well.
Defensively, this group has done well so far. In week one, they were able to keep Jonathan Taylor in check, while allowing only 16 points to A Russell Wilson-led offense isn’t too shabby either. The key on Sunday will be contain Fields in the pocket and not letting him hurt Houston with his legs. If they can force the Bears into throwing more than usual, it could get uncomfortable fast, which will also allow Houston to take Chicago’s fans out of it early too.