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Texans offense struggles against Bears, but defense wins
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Texans offense struggles against Bears, but defense wins

The Houston Texans have one of the most exciting offenses in the league. On Sunday night, the most exciting thing the Texans could generate was watching their kicker hit 50-yard field goals into the net.

Ultimately, Sunday night will prove to be a good win for the Texans. Games like their 19-13 win over the Chicago Bears show they can be successful in different ways.

The Texans defense had a great night on a night when the offense wasn’t at its best. Houston held Chicago rookie quarterback Caleb Williams to very few goals and kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn led the Texans to a pretty ugly win. The defense needed one more stop in the final minute, and it did so thanks to its seventh sack of the night.

There won’t be many days where CJ Stroud and the offense struggle to score, but the Texans showed they can win even when they do.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is grabbed by Houston Texans defensive end Danielle Hunter. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is grabbed by Houston Texans defensive end Danielle Hunter. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

The Texans offense consisted of long field goals by Fairbairn and catches by wideout Nico Collins for most of the night. Fairbairn made four field goals, including three from 50-plus yards. Collins had a great night, including a 28-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

Otherwise, it wasn’t an easy night for the Texans. The Bears defense played a fantastic game. Chicago did a good job of pressuring Stroud, and aside from trying to keep up with Collins, the Bears were strong in coverage. Joe Mixon had a great game on the ground in the Texans’ season opener, but he was generally quiet Sunday night.

And thanks to the Texans’ defense, it never looked like the Bears were much of a threat.

Part of that is the Bears. They didn’t pass 150 yards of offense last week despite coming off a win over the Tennessee Titans. The Bears didn’t pass 150 yards of offense 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 to pull out a win on special teams and defense.

Fairbairn will be 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 big 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 get stuck in the opposite zone, but Houston knows it has a good chance of coming away with three points when it does.

The Texans’ defense will be key to becoming a true Super Bowl contender, and it looked good against the Bears. Chicago’s offensive line allowed far too much pressure for their rookie quarterback to succeed, but that was also thanks to the Texans’ talent up front. Six different Houston defenders had at least a half-sack against Williams.

The Bears had one more chance. An illegal hands-to-the-face penalty on the Texans took away what could have been a huge first down with 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 started well 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 done.

The Texans are 2-0 against two solid opponents. The win over the Bears wasn’t what you’d expect from a Texans team with so much offensive talent, but it could be a win to remember later this season. The Texans may need to win another game like that in January.