Bears 13 - 19 Texans summary, stats, scores and highlights

CJ Stroud knows it wasn't the prettiest of games, but a win is a win. The Texans have a few things to clean up, but with Stroud and Nico Collins they have more than enough to get a win on any given Sunday. 

In the Bears first game, the offense sturggled but the defense and special teams came up with big plays to win the Week 1 match up against Tennessee. On Sunday night it was the Texans defense that came up with the big plays to win the game. Williams was picked off for a second time after trying to make a play with his feet, but Kamari Lassiter was there to make the interception.

Once the pressure started to take it's toll, the mistakes came from the rookie. This pass was picked off by Derek Stingley Jr. but still the Bears hung in the game thanks to their lock down defense. 

The Texans were going to make sure they made the rookie as uncomfortable as possible on his primetime debut, and that's exactly what they did. Williams was sacked 7 different times and hit countless other times. He's quickly realizing that those plays he made in college aren't as easy to make in the NFL. He played better, but the HOU defense hit him with a barrage of blitzes. 

The Bears offense looked better in the first half of their second game, but were silenced in the final half hour. Caleb Williams had 174 yards passing but was picked off 2 times and was constantly scraping himself off the grass. Despite the troubles the Bears were in the game all night. Khalil Herbert punched in the Bears' only offensive TD through the first two games with this two yard TD run right before the end of the first half. 

Ka'imi Fairbairn had himself a night. He went 4/4 hitting field goals from 56, 47, 59 and 53 to almost single handily outscore the Bears. For a lot of you fantasy owners out there, the HOU kicker might have won you this week's match up. 

Stroud was pushed out of the pocket much of the night, like Williams was, but he was able to make plays down field and that was the difference in the game from Houston on Sunday night. The offense looked like it was rolling in the first half, but it slowed down after the break. 

Nico Collins had a monster first half and ended the game with 135 yards and this TD from 28 yards out. There are plenty of options for Stroud on the offensive end this season, but Nico Collins is looking like his favorite target early in the season. This TD catch and run came just one play after Collins was hit with an unsportsmanlike flag for smacking a Bears defender, but he made up for his mistake immediately. 

The Houston Texans won a defensive showdown from NRG Stadium to improve to 2-0 on Sunday Night. C.J. Stroud had 260 yards and a TD in the win, but the Texans offense was kept quiet in the second half. 

Coming into the primetime game, the focus was on the young quarterbacks that are tabbed to be the face of the next generation of the NFL. While the QBs got all the pregame headlines, this game was won on the other side of the ball. The Texans were in the face of rookie QB Caleb Williams all night long. 

IT'S ALL OVER!!!

The Texans hold off the Bears thanks to a relentless defense that pressured the rookie QB Willams all night long. 

TURNOVER ON DOWNS!!!

Williams with a pass down the left sideline for Odunze but that was well behind the WR and the Bears come back bid comes to an end. 

HOU Ball and they can kneel it out for the rest of the way. 

Williams tucks and runs but he is wrapped up after a gain of a yard. 

4th and 17 from the CHI 40. 

Williams gets sacked again by Hunter for a loss of 8 yards!

3rd and 18 from the CHI 39. 

Williams to Everett on the right side but that TE couldn't make the catch. 

2nd and 10 from the CHI 47. 

Odunze makes the catch and bounces off a tackle for a gain of 27 yards to start the drive. 

1st and 10 form the CHI 47. 

CHI get the ball from the 20 with 1:37 to go. The rookie has a chance to win it in primetime. 

Stroud finds Diggs on the screen and he gets 4 yards but the Texans are going to have to punt! I Timeout Bears with 1:45 to go, their last of the second half. 

4th and 13 from the HOU 36. 

Stroud scrambled for the first down, but an illegal hands to the face will erase that play and back up the Texans. 

3rd and 17 from the HOU 32. 

Ogunbowale with a run up the middle and he picks up 3 yards this time. 

3rd and 7 from the HOU 42 and that takes us to the Two Minute Warning!

Ogunbowale up the middle and he is stopped for no gain. 

2nd and 10 from the HOU 39. 

The Bears kick off to the Texans and Sims with a great return to the 40 sets up the Texans with good field position. 

FIELD GOAL!!!!

Santos drills the 54 yard field goal to keep the Bears in this game!

It's 19-13 Texans with 2:51 to go in the 4th quarter. 

Back shoulder throw for Moore down the left sideline but that pass was behind the WR. 

4th and 4 from the HOU 36. 

Homer up the middle and he picks up 6 yards. 

3rd and 4 from the HOU 36. 

Williams tucked it and slide after a gain of maybe one. 

2nd and 9 from the HOU 42. 

Williams goes deep down the right side for Moore, and that pass hit off the WR's finger tips and falls incomplete, but a flag flies for roughing the passer. 

1st and 10 form the HOU 42. 

Williams felt the pressure and threw it away before the sack came and a flag flies for intentional grounding. 

3rd and 14 from CHI 43. 

Short pass over the middle for Kmet who got drilled after making the catch for 6 yards. 

2nd and 4 from the HOU 47. 

Williams finds Kmet over the middle and that moves the chains for a gain of 12 yards. 

1st and 10 from the CHI 47. 

Williams takes a shot for Moore but that pass was overthrown. 

3rd and 3 from the CHI 35. 

Short pass to Moore on the stop route to the left side and he makes the catch for 7 yards. 

2nd and 3 from the CHI 35. 

Williams tucks it and runs for a big gain of 24 yard on the scramble. 

1st and 10 from the CHI 28. 

Williams pass over the middle for Moore was broken up by Murray. 

3rd and 9 from the CHI 4. 

Swift gets the handoff out of the shot gun and he gets a yard. 

2nd and 9 from the CHI 4. 

FUMBLE!!!

With the Texans knocking on the door, Billings knocked the ball out of the hands of Akers and it's Byard who comes up with the fumble!

1st and 10 Bears from their 3 yard line, and the defense keeps Chicago alive again! They need a quick score on this drive with 6:28 on the clock. 

Pass to the left side for Schultz and he turns up field for a pick up 16 yards on the catch and run on 3rd down. 

1st and Goal from the 4. 

Akers up the middle and he picks up 4 yards. 

3rd and 5 from the CHI 19. 

Akers up the middle and he picks up a yard. 

2nd and 9 from the CHI 24. 

Akers breaks into the secondary and cuts outside for a gain of 13 yards before being pushed out of bounds. 

1st and 10 from the CHI 25. 

Akers gets the handoff out of the shotgun and he picks up 7 yards on the run to the right side. 

2nd and 3 from the CHI 38. 

HOU take over from the CHI 44 with 9:24 to go and the Texans can put the nail in the coffin on this drive. 

Williams is dropped again, this time by Edwards and the Bears go three and out. 

4th and 14 from the CHI 2. 

Williams looks deep down the left sideline but that pass was thrown away after nothing opened up down field. 

3rd and 7 from the CHI 9. 

CHI get the ball back from the 6 needing a score on this drive. 

Swift gets 3 yards on the first down run. 

2nd and 7 from the CHI 9. 

Pass to the flat for Collins and he gets 7 yards but is short of the first down and the punt unit comes on. 

4th and 10 from the CHI 43. 

Nothing was open downfield and Stroud is dropped by Sanborn for an 8 yard sack. 

3rd and 17 from the 50. 

Mixon with the run to the left side, and is pushed out of bounds for a yard. 

2nd and 9 from the CHI 42. 

INTERCEPTION!!!

Williams escaped the rush and avoided a sack, had time and space after rolling out but was picked off looking for Kmet down the right sideline but Lassiter makes the pick!

1st and 10 from the CHI 43. 

CHI take over from the 30 and Williaims finds Swift on the screen pass but he is crushed by Pitre for a loss of 5 yards. 

2nd and 15 from the CHI 25. 

FIELD GOAL!!!

Fairbairn is the MVP of the night. He hits his fourth field goal, this one from 53 yards out!

HOU lead 19-10 with 13:39 to go in the 4th. 

Slant pattern from Hutchinson but Stevenson was there to jar that pass out of the hands of the WR. 

4th and 6 from the CHI 34. 

Mixon up the middle and he picks up 4 yards to make it 3rd and medium. 

3rd and 6 from the CHI 34. 

Stroud looking for Dell on the right side but that pass falls incomplete. 

2nd and 10 from the CHI 38. 

Stroud breaks out of the pocket, rolls right and throws it back to the middle of the field for Collins for a pitch and catch of 26 yards!

1st and 10 from the CHI 38. 

The Texans come up with the first interception of the game, and it's Stingley who makes the tough catch over his shoulder to give the Texans good field position. 

WE ARE HEADED TO THE FOURTH QUARTER WITH THE TEXANS PROTECTING THEIR SIX POINT LEAD. 

Stroud finds Diggs on the slant to the right side and he picks up 7 yards on the final play of the quarter. 

3rd and 8 from the HOU 36. 

Dell on the jet sweep and that play was blown up by Gordon who dropped him for a loss of 5. 

2nd and 15 from the HOU 29. 

INTERCEPTION!!!

Williams takes a shot down the field and this one is intercepted by Stingley as he went up and took it from Moore on the left sideline!

1st and 10 from the HOU 34. 

Williams dumps down for Herbert out of the backfield and he gets 2 before getting pushed out of bounds. 

3rd and 14 from the CHI 40. 

Williams in the flat to Moore and he's taken down after a gain of one, and a hold on CHI will back them up. 

2nd and 16 from the CHI 38. 

Swift with the carry to the right side and he's pushed out of bounds after a gain of a yard. 

2nd and 9 from the CHI 47. 

Swift gets a yard on the run up the middle but a holding penalty on HOU will give CHI a first down. 

1st and 10 from the CHI 46. 

CHI take over from their 34 and Swift gets the pitch to the right side for a gain of 6 yards. 

2nd and 4 from the CHI 40. 

The call on the field stands, and 3rd and 10 from the HOU 35 Stroud is dropped by Dexter for a 10 yard sack!

4th and long and the Texans will punt. 

Stroud almost got picked by Gordon and he took it to the house after thinking he came up with the pick. The Bears want to challenge the call on the field, but it looked like that ball came out. 

Stroud steps out of the pocket and throws it away. 

2nd and 10 from the HOU 35. 

Akers up the middle and he weaves his way for 7 yards and a first down. 

1st and 10 from the HOU 35. 

HOU get the ball from the 23 and Stroud finds Schultz out the out route for 5 yards. 

2nd and 5 from the HOU 28. 

Williams held on to it too long and got sacked from behind by Ward. 

4th and 8 after the sack for 8 yards. 

Pass to the flat for Swift and he cuts back to the middle and picks up 14 yards on 2nd down. 

3rd and 1 from the HOU 41. 

Another false start backs CHI up five yards, and on 1st and 15, Williams rucks it and runs for the sideline but he got crushed before stepping out of bounds by Al-Shaair. There was a dust up on the Bears sideline but no flag was thrown. 

2nd and 10 from the 50. 

Pass to the flat for Moore who dances up the right sideline for a gain of 10. 

1st and 10 from the 50. 

Williams pass was picked by Lawson, but a defensive holding will take the INT off the board and give CHI a first down. 

1st and 10 from the CHI 40. 

On 1st and 15 Williams finds Kmet for a gain of 6 yards on the right side. 

2nd and 9 from the CHI 35. 

CHI get the ball back from their 34 looking to take the lead, but the Bears start the drive with a false start. 

After a false start on HOU, Stroud looks back to Diggs on the pass over the middle but that pass skips off the turf and the Texans go three and out. 

4th and 10 from the HOU 14. 

Stroud looks over the middle for Diggs but that pass was too far out infront of the WR. 

3rd and 10 from the HOU 14. 

HOU take over from the 14 and Stroud looked for Schultz on the back shoulder throw up the right sideline but the TE couldn't make the adjustment. 

2nd and 10 from the HOU 14. 

Williams escapes the rush, steps up, tucks it and picks up 10 yards but is short of the first down. 

4th and 4 and the Bears will punt. 

Williams takes a shot down the field to Odunze and that pass sails out of bounds. 

3rd and 14 from the CHI 9. 

Swift with the run to the left side out of the shotgun and he is dragged down for a loss of 4 yards. 

2nd and 14 from the CHI 9. 

CHI take over from the 7 and Williams threw it out of bounds, but a flag flies for pass interference after Kmet got held up. 

1st and 10 from the CHI 13. 

Stroud steps up in the pocket and had Dell in space behind the defense but he dropped the pass! He could have run for a long time if he had made the catch. 

4th and 4 from the HOU 33. 

Mixon with a catch in the flat and he picks up 9 yards before limping off the field after twisting his ankle. 

3rd and 4 from the HOU 33. 

Pass swung to the flat for Dell and he is bottled up for a loss of 3 yard. 

2nd and 13 from the HOU 24. 

Slant pattern from Collins and Stroud hit him in stride for a gain of 16 yards and a first down. 

1st and 10 from the HOU 27. 

HOU get the ball from the 10 and Mixon gets the pitch to the left side for a short gain of a yard. 

2nd and 9 from the HOU 11. 

Williams taking a shot for Carter down the field and he had him open, but he throw down the left side was over thrown. 

4th and 3 from the CHI 37. 

Swift lowers the shoulder and picks up 4 yards to bring up 3rd and short. 

3rd and 3 from the CHI 37. 

CHI get the ball from the 30 to start the half, and they have a chance to take the lead with a TD on this drive. 

Willams finds Kmet on a short pass that goes for 3 yards. 

2nd and 7 from the CHI 33. 

WE ARE BACK IN HOUSTON FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION!!!

Late in the second quarter, the Bears got great field position and they took advantage with a 49 yard drive that was polished off by Herbert on the 2 yard TD run. 

Williams has looked a lot better in this game, going 12/15 for 91 yards. He's not forcing things. He's letting the game come to him, and the Bears are right there, hanging with the Texans. 

This is a battle of young QBs that could be the faces of the NFL in a few years, and Stroud has been nearly perfect on primetime. He's 14/19 for 173 yards and a TD. When you have WRs making plays like this, it makes life a little easier. 

On the play before the Collins TD, the WR got flagged for a personal foul for smacking on of the Bears DBs, but he made up for it on the next play with this 28 yard catch and run for a TD. 

The Texans came out wanting to pressure the rookie QB for the Bears. They have sacked Williams twice, and been in his face a few more time. 

FIELD GOAL!!!

On his third field goal of the night, Fairbarin drills a 59 yard field goal as the clock winds down!

HOU are back up by 6 heading into the break!

Stroud throws it away and that will bring out the FG unit to try a long field goal before the end of the half. 

The call on the field stands and HOU have 1st and 10 form the CHI 36, but a false start will back the Texans up 5 yards with 9 seconds left. 

Stroud rolls to the right side and looks for Collins on the right sideline, who bobbled it but controlled it with one hand and it looks like he got two feet in bounds. It was called a catch but the play will be looked at. 

Stoud looking for Dell on the out route to the right sideline but that pass drifted out of bounds. 

2nd and 10 form the HOU 48. 

HOU get the ball from the 35 with 30 on the clock, and Stroud finds Odunbowale for a 13 yard gain on the left side. Timeout HOU, their last, with 22 on the clock. 

1st and 10 from the HOU 48. 

Herbert punches the Bears into the endzone for the first time this season. The Bears took advantage of great field position to cut into the lead heading into the halftime break. 

Williams goes over the top for Odunze and that pass hit off his hands but he couldn't reel it in. 

3rd and Goal from the 2. 

A false start backs up the Bears, Williams takes it on a designed QB run up the middle and he picks up 9 yards. 

2nd and Goal from the 2. 

After a false start on CHI, Williams looks for Carter inside the 10 yard line, and the pass falls incomplete but a flag flies for pass interference. 

1st and Goal from the 6. 

Williams over the middle and he finds Herbert for a short gain of two out of the backfield. Timeout HOU with 1:11 to go. 

3rd and 9 from the HOU 25. 

Pass to the flat for Everett and he is swarmed by Anderson and company for a loss of a yard. 

2nd and 11 from the HOU 27. 

Moore on the fake slant and cuts back outside for a short catch that turns into a 16 yard gain as we head to the Two Minute Warning!

1st and 10 from the HOU 26. 

Swift is stuffed for no gain on the run up the middle. 

3rd and 3 from the HOU 42. 

Play action from Williams and he goes to Swift out of the backfield for a 7 yard gain on first down. 

2nd and 3 from the HOU 42. 

CHI take over from the HOU 49 and will have their best field position of the night. 

Pocket collapsed quickly on Stround and Edmunds gets the 7 yard sack to bring the punt unit on for the first time tonight. 

4th and 11 from the HOU 12. 

Screen pass to Mixon and he gets 8 yard on the left side to bring up 3rd and medium. 

3rd and 4 from the HOU 19. 

HOU take over from their 13 after scoring on their first three drives, and MIxon is bottled up in the backfield by Brisker on the run to the left side. 

2nd and 12 from the HOU 11. 

After a false start on CHI, Williams is tripped up by Barnett for an 8 yard loss after trying to escape the rush. 

4th and long and the Bears will punt. 

Screen pass set up for Swift but the pass falls incomplete. Not a great throw from the rookie to Swift who had room and blockers down the field. 

3rd and 4 from the CHI 46. 

Short pass from Williams to Carter on the stop route to the right side and he picks up 6 yards. 

2nd and 4 from the CHI 46. 

Herbert got the handoff out of the shotgun and got just barley enough to keep the drive alive. 

1st and 10 from the CHI 40. 

Williams on the QB sneak but he got stopped short of the first down marker, and the offense is going to stay on the field. 

4th and 1 from the CHI 39. 

Swift with another run up the middle and he is stopped just short of the marker. 

3rd and 1 from the CHI 39. 

CHI get the ball from the 30 looking to cut into this lead. 

Swift with a dive up the middle and he picks up 7 yards on first down. 

2nd and 3 from the CHI 37. 

FIELD GOAL!!!

Diggs was ruled a foot short of the marker, and Fairbairn comes on and knocks home his second FG of the night, this one from 47 yards. 

HOU lead 13-3 with 10 minutes to go in the 2nd quarter. 

Out route by Diggs who turned up field and dove for the marker, but he is marker a yard short. The Texans will challenge that play. 

Dell on the WR screen but he is wrapped up after a gain of 3. 

3rd and 6 from the CHI 37. 

Mixon gets the toss to the right side and he is stopped for a gain of a yard. 

2nd and 9 from the CHI 37. 

Stroud rolling right and escapes the pocket before finding Collins for an 18 yard gain down the right sideilne. 

1st and 10 from the CHI 38. 

Touch pass over the top for Diggs on the left sideline and he toe taps the second foot for a big gain of 21. CHI throws the challenge flag, but there's no doubt he got both feet down. 

1st and 10 from the HOU 44. 

Stroud looking underneath for Mixon and Johnson was all over the RB to knock that pass away. 

3rd and 10 from the HOU 23. 

HOU take the ball back from their 23 and Mixon is stopped for no gain. 

2nd and 10 from the HOU 23. 

Williams off the play fake and he had pressure coming from both sides and he had to throw it out of bounds. 

4th and 4 from the CHI 36. 

Out route from Odunze who gets six yards on the right side. 

3rd and 4 from the CHI 36. 

CHI take the ball back from the 30 yard line, and Moore gets the touch pass from Williams in the backfield on the jet sweep and is pushed out of bounds for no gain. 

2nd and 10 from the CHI 30. 

After committing an unsportsmanlike penalty the play before, Collins takes it to the house and has the last laugh on that drive as the Texans take a TD lead. 

Mixon is dropped for no gain on the first down run to the right side. After the play Collins got called for unsportsman like conduct after having a finger pointed in his face and retaliating with a slap to the defenders helmet. 

2nd and long from the CHI 29. 

WE ARE AT THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER FROM HOUSTON!!!

It's 3-3 but the Texans are knocking on the door. 

End around from Dell and he follows his blockers for a huge pick up of 18 yards!

1st and 10 from the CHI 14. 

Play action from Stroud and the TE Stover slips out to the right side and picks up the first down on a gain of 18 yarfds. 

1st and 10 from the CHI 32. 

Pass over the middle for Collins short of the marker, and he is wrapped inside of a yard from the first down. 

4th and 1 from HOU 49. 

Screen pass set up and that was deflected by Sweat who popped it up in the air and that falls harmlessly for the Texans, but it could have been picked. 

3rd and 7 from the HOU 44. 

Pitch to Mixon to the right side and he picks up 3 yards on first down. 

2nd and 7 from the HOU 44. 

HOU take over from the 23 on their second drive and Stroud hits Collins over the middle for a pitch and catch for 18 yards. 

1st and 10 from the HOU 41 

FIELD GOAL !!!

Santos drills the 53 yarder to tie up the game. 

Both teams start the night with decent drive that end in long field goals, and it's 3-3 with under 4:00 to go in the 1st quarter. 

Williams is smothered by Anderson and Hunter on both ends for a loss of 10 yards and that will bring out the FG unit. 

4th and 19 from the HOU 34. 

Swift is bottled up on a run out of the shotgun and he loses a yard. 

3rd and 9 from the HOU 25. 

Swift to the left side and he gets a couple yards on first down. 

2nd and 8 from the HOU 24. 

Williams to Moore on the slant and he fires it in stride to his WR for a gain of 19 and a first down. 

1st and 10 from the HOU 26. 

Williams with a short throw to the right side for Swift out of the backfield for a gain of 8. 

3rd and 2 from the HOU 45. 

Swift gets the handoff and he is bottled up at the line of scrimmage by To'oTo'o. 

2nd and 10 from the CHI 47. 

Carter on the short out route to the left side and he breaks a tackle for a first down and a gain of 13. 

1st and 10 from the CHI 47. 

Beautiful throw from Williams on the pass to Carter on the out route for a pick up of 14 and a first down. 

1st and 10 from the CHI 35. 

Swift gets the handoff to the left side and he is swallowed up by Hunter for a loss of 4 yards. 

3rd and 12 from the CHI 21. 

Fro the 23, Williams finds his TE Edward for a short gain of two on the left side. 

2nd and 8 from the CHI 25. 

Here comes Caleb Williams and the Bears offense for their first drive of the game. The Rookie is in game No. 2 trying to bounce back from a rough opener. 

FIELD GOAL!!!

HOU are on the board after their first drive thanks to a 56 yard field goal from Fairbairn. 

HOU lead 3-0 five minutes into this game. 

Stroud checks down for Ogunbowale who had a lot of work to do for a first down, and he gets taken down after a gain of 7. 

4th and 5 from the CHI 39. 

After a false start backs HOU, Stroud finds Akers over the middle for a gain of 3 yards. 

3rd and 12 from the CHI 46.

Mixon with the stretch handoff to the right side and he is stuffed at the line of scrimmage. 

2nd and 10 from the CHI 43. 

Jet sweep to Mixon on the left side and he turns the corner for a gain of 16 yards. 

1st and 10 from the CHI 43. 

Stroud over the middle and he hits Mixon on the hitch route for a first down and an 8 yard gain. 

1st and 10 from the HOU 41. 

Stroud goes short to the left side and Jordan gets four yards to set up 3rd and medium. 

3rd and 6 from the HOU 34. 

Stroud on the play action and he fires a pass into the secondary looking for Collins but Sanborn lept up and broke that pass up. 

2nd and 10 from the HOU 29. 

WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM NRG STADIUM!!!

The Texans get the ball to start the game, and they begin their first drive from the 29 after Woods got tripped up before he could hit a hold on the left side. 

Tonight's odds

The Texans come into tonight as favorites, but maybe not by as much as you might think against a team with a rookie QB. The odds makers have put the Texans as 6 point favorite with the Over/Under set at 45.5. 

I would have thought the spread would have been a little higher with the Texans at home, taking on a young team on primetime. I’m going with Houston to lay it on the Bears from NRG Stadium. 

HOU win 28-10. 

NFL Standings  

It’s early, but never too early to take a look at the division standings. Taking a look at the AFC South, the Texans will have the Jags and the Colts to worry about, while the Bear will have the Packers and the Lions to fend off in the NFC North. After this afternoon’s games, the this is how the NFC and AFC looks coming into to Sunday Night. 

All time series 

This matchup features one of the oldest franchises in the game against the newest franchise in the game. The Chicago franchise has been around since 1920 while the Texans joined the NFL in 2002. Since Houston joined the league, these two teams have met six times with the Texans leading the all time series 4-2. Houston won the first four games, but Chicago has won the last two matchups with the last coming in September of 2022. 

Houston newcomers 

C.J. Stroud already had a loaded roster of weapons that helped the Texans get to the playoffs last year, but Houston brought in players that could help this team make the jump from playoff team to Super Bowl team. Joe Mixon was brought in from Cincy and put up huge numbers in his Texans debut, going for 159 yards and a TD on 30 carries and Stefon Diggs came in from Buffalo and had two TDs on 6 catches. Collins and Dell did the heavy lifting for Stroud, combining for 157 yards receiving but Diggs was the one Stroud was looking for in the red zone.

Sad history of CHI QBs 

It has been a long, sad story of quarterback play in the Windy City. Do they finally have the answer to their QB problems with the No. 1 overall pick? That seems to be the early consensus, even before Williams took a single snap in Chicago. If he were to establish himself as the starting gunslinger for the foreseeable future it would end a quarterback carousel that has lasted since the start of this franchise. Jay Cutler was the longest tenured starter, with sevens seasons under center for Chicago, but that never really amounted to anything. The next longest tenured QB was Ed Brown who was under center for six years in the Windy City in the 50s. Since Cutler left Chicago in 2017, there have been 10 different starters for the Bears including Caleb Williams. 

No. 1 overall QBs to win in Week 1 

It’s not an easy task to come into to the NFL as No. 1 overall pick and win in your debut as a rookie QB. Caleb Williams may have struggled but he joins an elite list of QBs who were taken first overall and went on to win their Week 1 game. With the win, he became just the fourth QB to win the opening game of their rookie year, joining Jim Plunkett, John Elway and David Carr of the Houston Texans.

Williams last year

The No. 1 overall pick had a slump in numbers in his final year in college, but still had a sound season with the USC Trojans. In his Heisman Trophy winning season he had 42 TDs and just 5 INTs while passing for 4,537 yards as a sophomore. Last year he didn’t have as good of a team, and his stats dipped a bit. He threw for almost a thousand less, 3,633 yards, 30 TDs and 5 picks. He still had a handful of spectacular plays, but sat out the final few games of the season knowing that he was going to be the No. 1 pick in the Draft.

Stroud last year

It may not have been the best rookie year we have ever seen, but C.J. Stroud stepped in under center and led a bad team to the playoffs after being drafted with the second overall pick. He won 10 games, threw for 4,108 yards and 23 TDs with only 5 INTs. The rookie didn’t make rookie mistakes. Instead he made game winning plays to lead his young, talented team a 10-7 record and take them to the postseason. 

Best season for a rookie QB

It depends on how you rank a rookie season. Is it by wins? Is it by stats? Is it by by Super Bowls won? If it’s by stats, then Andrew Luck might take the cake with his 4,374 yard, 23 TDs and 11-5 record following an 1-15 season. If we are going by wins, you’d have to go with Ben Rothlisberger who went 13-0 before losing in the AFC Championship game. There has yet to be a Super Bowl winning rookie, but that can change with Caleb William this year. It might be far fetched, but this Bears team is going to contend for the NFC North, and if Williams finds his stride, who knows?

Rookie QBs in Week 1

Caleb Williams was one of three rookie that started in Week 1, and even though he was the only one who got the win, his numbers were probably worst of all three. Going just 14/29 for 93 yards, Williams failed to impress. Bo Nix rushed for a TD and went 26/42 for just 128 yards as he dinked and dunked his way through his rookie debut, but did throw 2 INTs and lost the game to the Seattle Seahawks. Jayden Daniels had a solid stat line throwing the ball, going 17/24 for 184 yards and 88 yards with two rushing TDs on 16 carries but those TDs came when the game was long gone. These QBs will get better as the season goes on, the question is, who if any of them will win ROY? 

DeMeco’s first year coaching comparison  

While the Texans’ 10-7 season was impressive, and DeMeco Ryans certainly deserved his nomination for Coach of the Year, it was far from the best rookie season a first year coach had. George Seifert had a great rookie year going 14-2 with a Niners team that had just won the Super Bowl the year before. The would make it a back-to-back Super Bowl run with Seifert on the sideline. Jim Caldwell took over an already good team when Tony Dungy retired and led Indy to a 14-2 season before losing to the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl, and most recently Jim Harbaugh took the Niners to a 13-3 season after going 6-10 the year before. The Niners would go to the NFC Championship before losing to the NY Giants. 

Williams on debut

A win is a win, but it was ugly and Caleb Williams knows that. He went just 14/29 for 93 yards, and as the Bears had less than 150 yards of total offense. He knows he’s got to be better, he knows he will get better, but for him the stats from Week 1 didn’t matter. All that mattered was the W, and his defense and specials teams bailed him out in that sense. “Don’t care about stats… I understand that the stats weren’t where I wanted them to be because I want to go out there and perform to the best of my ability. I didn’t do that today… We are going to get better…"

Last year: Texans

Houston took a little while to get going last season. They lost their first two games of the season despite C.J Stroud looking like he was ready to be the stater since Day 1. After a season in which they went 3-13-1 the Texans sizzled to a 10-7 record winning the division for the first time since 2019. Houston would go on to meet the Cleveland Browns and Stroud had a monster game throwing for 280 yards and three TDs to give the Houston franchise their fifth playoff win ever. They would meet the one seed Baltimore Ravens in the next round of the playoffs, and Houston would struggle against a better, more physical, more mature team. The Ravens ousted them from the playoffs, beating them 34-10 while holding Houston to just 213 yards. The dream season came to an end in Baltimore, but that was just the first taste of what’s to come for Houston fans. 

Last year: Bears

Chicago looked to be on the verge of disaster last year after losing their first four games and seven of their first nine. It was a year in which they Bears were going to have to decide their future on the fly as Justin Fields was playing for his job in the Windy City. Fields got hurt in Week 6 and missed a month and a half, but when he came back the Bears started playing some competitive football. They won four of their final seven games including a win over division rival Detroit and finished the season 7-10. It wasn’t a strong enough season for the Bears to hang on to Fields, so they sent him away and took Williams in the draft with their first pick. 

Star watch: Texans

While Stroud gets most of the well deserved credit for last year’s incredible season, it didn’t just come down to the outstanding rookie. He had plenty of help at WR with Tank Dell and Nico Collins. Dell got injured halfway through the season and missed the final stretch and the playoff run, but now he is back to full strength after an offseason that saw him get shot in the leg. Now they are joined by a couple of game changing weapons that showed just how much they are going to help this team out in the first game of the season.

Star Watch: Bears

While all the attention is centered around Caleb Williams, for good reason, we can’t forget the rest of the cast around him. He’s in a rare position for a No. 1 overall draft pick, because this wasn’t the worst team in the league last year. They got the pick from the Panthers who were the worst team in the league last year. There are good players on both sides of the ball, and the Bears brought in more impact players this offseason. D’Andre Swift is in the backfield and Keenan Allen came from LA to join DJ Moore and Rome Odunze at WR. None of the new or old guys in Chicago had a massive game because Williams didn’t have a massive game, but this offense will get much better of the course of the season. 

Last game: Texans

The Texans had to go into the house of their division rivals on a day when they got their face of the franchise back after missing most of his rookie season. Anthony Richardson came back and stunned the Texans early with a 60 yard TD bomb. That would be the last time the Colts would have the lead. C.J. Stroud and his new weapons in the Rocket City took off and took the lead tanks to a TD pass to Stefon Diggs in the second quarter. Diggs caught two TDs, but it was Joe Mixon who made headlines with 159 yards and a TD on 30 carries as HOU held off the Colts for their opening week win. 

Last game: Bears 

It wasn’t the dream debut for Caleb Williams who’s NFL career got off to a bumpy start but his defense and special teams was there to bail him out. The Titans went up 17-0 on the Bears at Soldier Field, as the offense struggled to move the ball but after the halftime break the special teams came up with a blocked punt that got taken back for a TD to bring the score to 17-10. Chris Santos would hit a couple of field goals to cut the lead to one and then Tyrique Stevenson picked off an ill-advised throw from Will Levis and took that back to the house to take the lead and eventually the Week 1 win. 

We are live from Houston

Hello everyone and welcome to Houston where the Texans are home for the first time this season after a tough road win against a division rival last week. Houston have high expectations after a surprise turnaround led by a rookie coach and QB led to a playoff run. That’s what the Bears will be hoping their rookie QB can do in the near future after years of anonymity, and instability at the QB position. The Caleb Williams era started with a win, but it was an ugly win in which the rookie struggled.

Bears vs. Texans

Two of the youngest most promising quarterbacks in the game take the field in a primetime match up from Houston. One QB has already established himself as one of the best gunslingers in the game, while the other one has been touted as the QB of the future. It’s Williams vs. Stroud, Bears vs. Texans on Sunday Night Football and AS English will be with you all night bringing you live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s game from NRG Stadium.