In a battle between young elite NFL quarterbacks, the Houston Texans trusted their defense and Ka’imi Fairbairn’s four field goals to beat the Chicago Bears 19-13 on Sunday night.
The Texans’ defense was elite against Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, either sacking or pressuring him all night long. While Houston had a 16-10 halftime lead, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud managed to keep his offense moving down the field. Yet touchdowns were few and far between in this Sunday Night Football showdown.
C.J. Stroud Helps Houston Texans Rule
For the game, Stroud was 23-for-36 passing for 260 yards and 1 touchdown. Stroud connected with wide receiver Nico Collins in the second quarter for a 28-yard touchdown pass. The win puts the Houston Texans at 2-0 in the young NFL season as they’ll travel to Minneapolis next Sunday. Houston will go up against quarterback Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings.
Guys. CJ Stroud is just different. pic.twitter.com/6Ll0VXUfpW
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 16, 2024
As for Williams, he performed mighty well in just his second NFL game. Williams kept the Bears’ offense moving as well, yet connecting on the big plays eluded him. The Texans’ defense had a big say in how Chicago couldn’t put together solid scoring drives. Will Anderson Jr. chipped in to add his name to those garnering one of Houston’s seven sacks.
Both teams also suffered from a lot of penalties. Houston had double-digit penalty flags dropped against it on Sunday night, while Chicago had flags tossed against it, too.
The Texans are now 2-0 in the AFC South Division, owning a two-game lead over the division’s other teams. Chicago evens its record in the NFC North Division to 1-1.
While Williams didn’t lead the Chicago Bears to a victory against the Texans, he showed off both his running and passing skills. At one point in the second half, Williams, facing an onslaught from the Texans’ defensive line, moved to the right side at NRG Stadium. He saw an open seam and dashed nearly 30 yards upfield.
Caleb Williams Played Strong For Bears
The NFL first-round draft pick out of USC didn’t totally disappoint Bears fans and their expectations. Of course, Williams did not deliver the victory but his play should not be something Bears fans feel sad about. It’s just his second game as a pro quarterback and Williams is giving Chicago fans something to cheer about. After dealing with numerous different quarterbacks in recent seasons, including Justin Fields and Mitch Trubisky, Williams offers a ray of hope.
Caleb Williams was pressured 36 times out of the 44 times he dropped back.
He was pressured 81.8% of the time (!!) and was sacked 7 times. pic.twitter.com/Jw0ALdKSN1
— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) September 16, 2024
Unfortunately, Bears fans and followers were not so graceful toward Williams on social media Sunday night. Fans were posting comments comparing Williams to Fields, even noting how Williams’ passes fell incomplete. There are high hopes that the Monsters of the Midway can put together a solid offense under Williams’ leadership. Yet he is still young and learning the ins and outs of an NFL-caliber offense.
In addition, the Bears’ defense played extremely well. Their defensive linemen pressured Stroud all night long, keeping the second-year Texans quarterback on his toes. Stroud’s ability to move within and outside of the pocket parlayed Houston into getting solid field position. Fairbairn, whose field-goal-kicking prowess has been a staple of Houston’s offense in recent seasons, was able to turn Texans’ offensive stops into field goals.
He connected on four field goals on the night, with his second-half kick giving the Houston Texans a 19-10 lead. Fairbairn was good from 56, 47, 59, and 53 yards on Sunday night, The Associated Press reported.
Chicago’s Cairo Santos connected on two field goals for the Bears. He also posted a second-half field goal, putting the Bears within 19-13.
Williams and the Bears’ offense got a chance to score a go-ahead touchdown with less than two minutes left in the game. But again, the Texans’ defense got tough when it mattered most. Williams tried hitting his wide receivers with a couple of downfield passes, yet could not do so. On fourth down, Williams threw an incomplete pass. All that was left for Stroud and the Texans to do was get into victory formation and run off the final seconds.
Williams was under the gun all game long as the Texans’ defense just kept up the pressure. Williams ended up getting sacked seven times, not a good recipe for success in the NFL. He was 23-of-37 passing for 174 yards and no touchdowns.
For his part, Collins amassed 135 receiving yards receiving to give him a second straight 100-yard game. Running back Joe Mixon, who totaled 159 yards in the season’s first game, was held to 25 yards rushing. Mixon’s right ankle got twisted when a Bears defender tackled him. Mixon left the Texans’ sideline for some time to get checked out by team doctors. Later in the game, though, Mixon’s ankle was taped up and he re-entered for some key fourth-quarter carries.
Chicago’s Khalil Herbert scored on a 2-yard run for the Bears as time was running out in the first half. That made it 13-10 Texans entering the third quarter. Herbert’s TD was the first one for Chicago’s offense in this young season.
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