HOUSTON — The Bears didn’t want to make more of Sunday night’s game against the Houston Texans, despite the fact the game was in primetime and against an upstart team with a young star quarterback in C.J. Stroud.

There are parallels between where the Texans are and where the Bears want to go, but that doesn’t mean the Bears want to walk in Houston’s footsteps. They didn’t want to consider this a statement game, but they sure played with an intensity suggesting otherwise.

Caleb Williams was far better than a week ago, and the offense made some contributions. So did Stroud, who was solid in his own right.

This was a close one to start the second half, but the Texans ultimately emerged victorious with a 19-13 win on Sunday night at NRG Stadium.

Let’s go over important aspects of this Week 2 contest:

Bair’s breakdown

The Bears defense kept this game close down the stretch, which was vital to a Bears offense still working out some kinks. Caleb Williams was far better than in Week 1, but the overall offensive effort wasn’t enough to beat a team of the Texans’ caliber.

The defensive pressure, both along the front and in the back, is relentless in a way that makes life hard on opponents over the course of four quarters. The Texans ended up ahead late due to one long Texans field goal after another, not by repeatedly beating this Bears defense.

Dealing with Bears turnovers – something that didn’t happen last week – made things even harder for the defense to keep their team in it. Even then, they got a red-zone fumble recovery to keep Chicago in it.

Overall, though, the offense has to be more efficient to beat more competitive teams. And that effort starts up front.

Plain and simple: the Bears must be able to run the ball better. The offensive line had a difficult time opening rush lanes and D’Andre Swift wasn’t getting many yards after contact. One dimensional offense is not a winning formula with a rookie quarterback, even with Williams’ considerable talent.

That’s a major reason why the Bears offense wasn’t consistent down the stretch, an issue that puts a lot of weight on Williams to grind out a positive result. That didn’t happen on Sunday night, but this team can be competitive by upgrading their offensive execution. – Scott Bair

Key stat

The running game never really got going.

The Bears mustered 70 yards on the ground, averaged 3.3 yards per carry and both numbers look inflated thanks to some long scampers on scrambles from Williams (4 carries, 43 yards). Swift ran 14 times for 18 yards (1.3 yards per carry) and that lack of a running game stymied the Bears offense. The inability to move the ball on the ground led to long 3rd downs and forced Williams to make throws.

The results were an offense that was 2-for-9 on 3rd downs with 4 or more yards to go. They were 4-for-7 with 3rd-and-3 or less. That will have to improve if they hope to get Williams and the offense in a groove.

Pivot point

Gervon Dexter Sr. had given the Bears a much-needed boost. The second-year defensive tackle sacked C.J. Stroud on 3rd down forcing a punt and giving the Bears offense the ball down 6 in the 3rd quarter. The Bears offense failed to move the ball and on a 3rd-and-15, Williams hurled a ball towards D.J. in Texans territory that was picked off by Derek Stingley Jr.

Houston responded by moving the ball down the field in 7 plays to tack on a field goal and make it a two-possession game. That put even more focus on the Bears passing game, an area that the Texans defense was more than comfortable to be in.

What’s next

The Bears are back on the road in Week 3, heading on a short(-ish) drive to Indianapolis to face the Colts. Indy remains winless, with losses to Houston and the Green Bay Packers.

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