Bears vs. Texans Prediction: Primetime Showdown |
DATE/TIME: Sunday, Sept. 15, 7:20 p.m. (CT) TELEVISION: NBC STREAMING: NFL+ (Chicago area only), Peacock, Game Pass International (outside the U.S., Canada and China) BROADCASTERS: Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (analyst), Melissa Stark (sideline)
RADIO: ESPN 1000 (AM 1000, 100.3 FM HD2), LATINO MIX 93.5 FM (Spanish), SiriusXM (Channels 88, 226 or 805), Westwood One STREAMING: NFL+, SiriusXM ESPN 1000 BROADCASTERS: Jeff Joniak (play-by-play), Tom Thayer (analyst), Jason McKie (sideline) LATINO MIX 93.5 FM BROADCASTERS: Omar Ramos (play-by-play), Miguel Esparza (analyst) WESTWOOD ONE BROADCASTERS: Ryan Radtke (play-by-play), Mike Golic (analyst) For the first time this season, the Chicago Bears will hit the road. They will once again be facing a team from the AFC South. This time, the competition will be much better, as the Bears will face the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football. Looking back at the 2024 NFL offseason, you could make the case that these two teams were the most active and have gone through the biggest makeover. From incredible draft picks CJ Stroud, Will Anderson Jr., Rome Odunze, and Caleb Williams to the plethora of free agent moves that both sides have made, these two teams are young and loaded with talent for the foreseeable future. Unlike last week, when the Bears came in as the favorites, they will be underdogs this week, and depending on who you ask, they could be heavy underdogs. A big reason for that is the injury bug plaguing the Bears receiver room right now as Keenan Allen, DJ Moore and Odunze are all battling injuries right now. Odunze isn't expected to play, but the other two are, which is huge for the Bears. However, unless they are 100% healthy and playing to their ability, Williams' early-season struggles could continue as he is still trying to figure out the type of quarterback he is. Here are some things to look for ahead of the Bears' week two matchup with the Texans:
Most of the talk surrounding the Texans and their offense revolves around Stroud and how good he can become. When you look at his WR room, you can see why, as he added Stefon Diggs to a room that already had Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and John Metchie. However, the most significant offseason addition for this team came at the RB spot as they added Mixon and gave him a nice contract to make him their RB of the future. Mixon was always a reliable RB during his time in Cincinnati, but given how that offense is orchestrated he never produced at the level he felt he could. Last week, Mixon not only produced but also put the league on notice by leading the NFL in rushing with 159 yards in week one. Should that happen again this week, it could be a long night for the Bears, as his ability to run the ball will open things up for the passing game. Chicago can make life difficult for Mixon as they do a tremendous job of stopping the run, so look for the battle in the trenches to be one of the key matchups. In any sense, Mixon could be the most important player on offense this week, and the Bears need to consider that.
Despite getting a win in his first career start and becoming the first rookie quarterback in over 20 years to win his NFL debut, Williams didn't look good. He was just 12-27 passing for 93 yards. That came against a pretty good Tennessee defense, but the Texans' defense is no slouch either, even though they had their struggles against the Colts last weekend. Everyone knew that Williams was going to struggle this season, as most rookies go through a series of growing pains before they finally figure things out. However, not many saw Williams struggling as much as he did, and there were times when he looked worse than Justin Fields. Williams has the talent to be one of the game's best for a long time and the weapons to lead to an impactful season. Now, it is up to him to start playing with the confidence a franchise quarterback needs to be the player he knows he can be.
Primetime has been a struggle for the Bears, especially on Sunday night. They haven't won a Sunday night game since 2019. During that stretch, the Bears have had seven games and have come out on the losing end all seven times, as they have the worst Sunday Night record in the league. If Chicago wants to be different, it needs to start fast on offense and play the same aggressive defense it has been playing for the past ten weeks. A win here will not only go a long way for the Chicago Bears and their future, but it will also give Williams something that Fields or Mitch Trubisky hasn't had: a win on Sunday night football. To do that on the road would be a massive confidence booster for this team, further proving that Williams is the right guy to lead this franchise. Chicago fans better get used to seeing this team on Primetime for the next few years, as this is just the first of what should be plenty of primetime matchups for this team.
The Bears are entering this game as a touchdown underdog, which doesn't surprise many. However, this is one of those intriguing matchups, as one of the best defenses in the NFL will face one of the best offenses. Typically, a good defense will always beat a good offense, but in this case, the Houston defense is good enough to also contain the Bears offense, which couldn't even get 200 yards against the Titans last week. This should be one of the better games of the weekend and will be closer than most people expect, but look for the Texans to narrowly escape as they take down the Bears 24-20. HOW TO WATCH
HOW TO LISTEN
Don't let Joe Mixon beat you
Time for Williams to step up
Primetime woes
Prediction: Texans 24-20 over Bears
