Penalties and Sacks Too Much to Overcome as Bears Fall to Texans
By Nick Kracher,
2024-09-16
The Chicago Bears' stout defense held a potent Houston Texans offense under 20 points and gave rookie Caleb Williams and the offense a fighting chance to win Sunday night's Week 2 matchup. It just wasn’t enough as the Bears turned the ball over on downs when they had an opportunity to take a late lead and fell 19-13 to last season's offensive rookie of the year C.J. Stroud and the Texans.
Another Defensive Battle
The Bears were once again able to hold their opponent under 20 points. Great run defense and sacks from Gervon Dexter Sr., Tremaine Edmunds, and Jack Sanborn helped stall Texans' drives. But on the flip side, Houston allowed just 13 points and sacked Caleb Williams twice as often while the Bears offense continued to struggle.
After a quick first quarter that saw the sides trade field goals, it looked like things could get away from the Bears. Houston scored on a 28-yard pass from C.J. Stroud to Nico Collins on a second-and-24 play that included an illegal hands-to-the-face call against Tyrique Stevenson that was declined. The Texans’ 77-yard scoring drive was followed by a late field goal to end the half with a 16-10 score in favor of the home team.
Head coach Matt Eberflus’s second-half adjustments kept the team in a game that could have easily gotten away from them. The Texans only tacked on another three points, keeping the Bears within striking distance and setting them up for a potential game-winning drive.
Bears Offensive Line Isn’t Ready for Primetime
It’s still early, but the offseason hope that the Bears' offensive line was primed for a breakout season seems to be gone. The unit allowed seven sacks, 11 QB hits, and 36 pressures while committing multiple pre-snap penalties, showing that this version of Chicago's front isn’t where it needs to be. Houston routinely created pressure on key third downs, often with a free rusher, via five-man pressure packages.
Too often blitzers were in Caleb Williams' face as he got to the top of his drop. As the night wore on, a hurried Williams either missed receivers or was forced to throw the ball away.
Even when the Bears' offense was able to find some rhythm, it was often upended by a false start, illegal formation, or delay of game penalty. Chicago racked up nine flags for 60 yards while the Texans were flagged 12 times for a loss of 115 yards. That’s 21 total penalties between the two teams, 18 of which were assessed through the first three quarters of play.
An Offense Looking for an Identity
The bright lights of primetime and a blitzing Texans defense proved to be too much for a Bears offense still trying to gain yardage ( and momentum ) under rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and new play-caller Shane Waldron. Williams ended the night 23/37 for 134 yards and two interceptions, along with 44 rushing yards on five carries. All too frequently drives ended with a sack or incomplete deep pass.
With a rookie quarterback, a new play-caller, and multiple new pieces, the offense was expected to be a work in progress. The only problem is that through two games there haven't been many glimmers of hope. Neither Williams nor Waldron have yet to find any sustained rhythm. There seems to be a lack of chemistry with receivers, the run game is basically non-existent, and the play-calling/personnel groupings are suspect at best.
While depth wide receiver DeAndre Carter produced early (three catches for 32 yards), key targets DJ Moore (six for 53 yards), Rome Odunze (two for 33 yards ), and Cole Kmet (four for 27 yards ) went through large chunks of the game without notice or catches. And when the ball went their way, the splash plays never materialized. Alas, it’s still a work in progress.
Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was routinely beaten by Nico Collins, who had eight catches for 135 yards and a touchdown.
Running back D’Andre Swift finished the game with 14 carries for 18 yards , with a long of seven yards.
DJ Moore had six catches for 53 yards but was visibly frustrated late in the fourth quarter as he and Caleb Williams seemed to have some communication issues.
What's On Tap Next?
The Bears travel to Indianapolis Sunday to face their second AFC South opponent in as many weeks. The 0-2 Colts are coming off an ugly loss to the Jordan Love-less Packers. After two poor performances from the offense, the Bears will look to turn things around versus a team that gave up 261 rushing yards to Green Bay.
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