(Photo: DAZN)
Intriguing Game- NFL, Week Two
Chicago Bears at Houston TexansÂ
Bears: They were hands down the most polarizing team during the off-season. What direction would they go in at Quarterback? Was Justin Fields the long-term solution? Also, they had the number one overall pick in the NFL Draft in the Spring. Eventually, they traded Justin to the Pittsburgh Steelers and that opened the door for them to take Caleb Williams from USC which is exactly what they did. Let’s talk about week one. It’s his first start and the fan base that’s been awaiting this moment was amped up for the game. On paper, Caleb’s stat line wasn’t the most appealing. He completed 14 of his 29 pass attempts for only 93 yards and didn’t throw a touchdown pass. I understand that it’s not the best stats. However, there are two major takeaways. The first is he didn’t turn the ball over which is a positive. The better you take care of the ball, the better of a chance you have to win the game and the most important takeaway is that the Bears won the football game. It will never be pretty or always look the best, but a win is a win and in our league, it’s tough to scrape up victories. That game in week one was as vintage Chicago if I ever saw it. Special teams played a part, but it was the defense that truly delivered. Football is a game that comes down to adjustments and they did just that. I’ve seen a lot of them over the years and this is the most hype I’ve seen surrounding them ever. It’s onto the next game and on Sunday night, they will face the Houston Texans and a star Quarterback in the making.
Texans: 2024 has been a good year for them. They added a few veterans pieces during the off-season with Danielle Hunter being one of them. He brings a pass rush which is something they haven’t had much of since the J.J. Watt days. Then, they signed Joe Mixon to a free-agent contract and of course, the biggest move they made was the acquisition of Stefon Diggs from the Buffalo Bills. Plus, Andre Johnson became their first Pro Football Hall of Famer. Prior to their game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, I knew it’d be a tough, yet close game from the get go because any time those two meet, it’s always a close game and it seems to come down to the fourth quarter most of the time. C.J. Stroud did what he’s done since becoming their Quarterback and I honestly saw him pick up where he left off from his rookie season in 2023. 24 of 32, 234 yards and two touchdown passes. My biggest takeaway from the Texans on Sunday was their ground attack and how they consistently ran the football! I know, I’m old school and I understand how it’s a pass driven, Quarterback happy league, but see what happens when you can still pound the rock? As a team, they rushed for 213 yards which made my heart happy and smile. Joe Mixon carried the ball 30 times for 159 yards. I haven’t seen this group consistently establish the ground game since the days of Arian Foster which was a while ago. We already know what the passing game is capable of doing, but if they can play with the balance they displayed on Sunday, watch out. They will be a tough team to face. Their home opener is Sunday night.
Bears X-Factor: DeMarcus Walker– When he was with the Tennessee Titans, he was a backup, but played as if his life depended on it. This was an amazing signing by Ryan Poles. It’s the motor DeMarcus plays with first and foremost. You play how you practice and practice how you play. That’s a saying DeMarcus lives by and he gives it his everything until the whistle is blown. He’s the mix of size and athleticism that you just can’t teach for Defensive Linemen. I also feel DeMarcus will provide the presence that Akiem Hicks did during his days with the Bears.
Texans X-Factor: Nico Collins– Who said Ohio State and Michigan couldn’t get along? These two certainly have. Nico is that possession receiver every Quarterback dreams of having at their disposal. He also showed me that the Texans have been brilliant when it comes to drafting Wide Receivers. Andre Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins, Tank Dell and Nico Collins have all been homegrown talents. Nico is a smooth route runner with the ability to cut inside and out. He’s so aggressive after the catch and he’s always looking forward to get the ball. The connection between Stroud and his receiver is real.
Final Thoughts: This should be fun. We have the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year against the favorite to win the award this year. This will be the first meeting between Caleb Williams and C.J. Stroud. I’m expecting a much more aggressive Caleb in this one and I expect him to have a much better game than he did against the Tennessee Titans. I say that because he won’t always have the defense to lean on and Anthony Richardson took a few shots down the field on this Texans defense. Why not follow that blueprint too? Houston will continue to feed Joe Mixon the ball against a Chicago defense that gave up a little over 100 yards to Tennessee in week one (103). Joe will provide them the balance they need and to not put everything on C.J. Houston’s defense also did a strong job containing Jonathan Taylor in Indy last week and they will be ready for whatever the Bears will run at them. This Bears defense will have their hands full against a much better passing attack than what they saw in week one. Houston will win this on Sunday night.
Prediction: Texans 29, Bears 20
