Texans' offense struggles against Bears, but defense comes through for the win
The Houston Texans have one of the more exciting offenses in the league. On Sunday night, the most excitement the Texans could generate was watching their kicker hammer 50-yard field goals into the net.
Ultimately, Sunday night will turn out to be a good win for the Texans. Games like their 19-13 victory over the Chicago Bears show they can succeed in different ways.
The Texans' defense had a big game on a night when the offense wasn't at its best. Houston held Chicago rookie quarterback Caleb Williams to very little and kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn carried the Texans to a fairly ugly victory. The defense needed to make one stop in the final minute, and it did so thanks in part to its seventh sack of the night.
There won't be many days in which C.J. Stroud and the offense struggle to score. But the Texans showed they can win even if that's the case.
Texans don't generate much offense
The Texans' offense for most of the night was long field goals by Fairbairn and catches from wideout Nico Collins. Fairbairn made four field goals, including three from longer than 50 yards. Collins had a big night, including a 28-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Otherwise, it was not an easy night for the Texans. The Bears' defense played a fantastic game. Chicago did a good job pressuring Stroud, and other than trying to keep up with Collins, the Bears were strong in coverage. In the Texans' opener Joe Mixon had a huge game on the ground, but he was mostly quiet Sunday night.
And because of the Texans' defense, it never felt like the Bears were that much of a threat.
Some of that is the Bears. They didn't pass 150 yards of offense last week though they got a win over the Tennessee Titans. The Bears didn't pass 150 yards of offense on Sunday night until a long Williams scramble with less than six minutes left. Houston led 19-10 at that point.
Collins' touchdown was the only one Houston got against Chicago. And yet it seemed comfortable grinding out a win with special teams and defense.
Ka'imi Fairbairn has a strong night
Fairbairn is becoming a part of the Texans' offensive firepower. He had three 50-yard field goals in last week's 29-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts. He was a huge part of the Texans' win over the Bears. His field goals came from 56, 47, 59 and 53 yards. The Texans' offense won't always stall in opposing territory, but Houston knows it has a good shot of coming out of it with three points when it happens.
The Texans' defense will be the key to them becoming a true Super Bowl contender and it looked good against the Bears. Chicago's offensive line allowed way too much pressure for its rookie quarterback to succeed, but that was also due to the Texans' talent up front. Six different Houston defenders had at least a half sack against Williams.
The Bears had one more shot. An illegal hands-to-the-face penalty on the Texans brought back what would have been a huge first down inside of the two-minute warning, and they couldn't pick up the first down and had to punt. With 1:37 left and no timeouts, Williams had to drive 80 yards for a touchdown and the win. The drive got off to a good start with a 27-yard catch by Rome Odunze, but the Texans came through with a stop. A sack by Danielle Hunter set the Bears back. On fourth-and-17, Williams threw incomplete and the Bears were finished.
The Texans are 2-0 against two solid opponents. The win over the Bears wasn't what you'd envision from a Texans team that has so much offensive talent, but it might be a win to remember later this season. The Texans might need to win a game like that again in January.
