Sorry these are late. Somebody tried to hack into my account and WordPress shut me down yesterday.
Defense
- The Bears did a pretty good job of stopping the run in this game (4.0 yards per carry). They’ve done well the last few weeks with this, which is pretty good considering that they’re without Eddie Goldman (COVID opt out) and Roy Robertson-Harris (IR).
- I thought it was interesting to see Houston come out of halftime and the conclusion that they had drawn was that they had to run more. They did because they weren’t doing it enough and you have to do it no matter how much success you are having. But it wasn’t because they were going to have more success with it. In any case the Bears were glad to watch them run clock and do it.
- The Bears got plenty of pressure on Deshaun Watson. His mobility was very evident in avoiding it but there’s only so much he can do. The guy has literally nothing around him.
- Big, big game for Khalil Mack. Big fumble recovery. Big forced fumble. Pass deflection. And, of course, a sack for a safety. Unfortunately Robert Quinn was not on the score sheet again.
- I was glad to see the Bears playing more aggressive man-to-man defense again. the soft zones weren’t working and they weren’t producing interceptions, which I assume is why they were doing it the last couple games. The Houston offense in the first half was Watson dropping back, finding no one, avoiding a sack and running the ball.
- Some good plays from Duke Johnson for the Texans this game. He’s a quick, speedy back with some moves.
Offense
- To me, the biggest question of the game was whether the Bears were going to run the ball effectively again. They did (7.3 yards per carry). The new offensive line blocked very well and David Montgomery looked good again. However, it must be said that the Texans are close to last in the league in rush defense. The Vikings will pose a bigger challenge. This is the way they’re going to have to win games.
- I don’t think Cordarella Patterson is the runner Montgomery is. I don’t think he’s got the vision. I was cutting too much inside when I thought that there was room outside. I’ve been generally supportive of him. But I think Montgomery should be getting his snaps.
- What was really good was that the Texans were packing the box, knowing the Bears were going to run. That’s a good sign. Even a bad team can often stop you when playing is such a way.
- I kind of liked the play calls in the passing game and I kind of didn’t. I saw more of the easy throws that allowed Trubisky to be reasonably successful in 2018 and he was on the move more. But I’d like to see them go down field more. I understand why they’re doing it. Trubisky is who he is. I just wish they could do better.
- I thought Trubisky got good protection this game. Again, nice job from the new look offensive line. What took them so long to get some of these guys out there?
- I’ll be interested in the snap counts for this game. I saw a lot of Jimmy Graham, who had a good game. Perhaps not as many for Cole Kmet, though we did see a fair bit of him as well.
Miscellaneous
- Because I’m out of town I watched this game on Gamepass. So the announcers got a break from me today and I didn’t listen. Or, perhaps I got a break from them. You’ll have to tell me.
- Penalties were even between the two teams (6 for the Texans and 7 for the Bears). That’s too many for a team that’s going to have to run the ball effectively to win most weeks. Their margin for error is too small.
- The Bears didn’t turn the ball over. Houston lost two fumbles. That’s usually a pretty good indication of how the game went.
- Hated the throw back uniforms. Hated them.
- This was a nice bounce back game for the Bears. The offense looked a lot like it did last week but they got help from a defense that was more aggressive in coverage and did a nice job. But this Texans team was really miserable. Much worse than I thought, even given the statistics which told me what they were. The Bears will have a bigger challenge next week against the resurgent Vikings in their building. I think that’s where we’ll find out what they’re made of as it will be a mist win game for both teams.