3 things to know about the Houston Texans
The Bears will yet again hear all about a quarterback they could've drafted instead of Mitch Trubisky in the 2017 draft. Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans come to Soldier Field for a noon kickoff on Sunday.
The Bears (5-7) and the Texans (4-8) square off for the first time since both teams selected a quarterback in the first round of 2017. Houston leads the all-time series, 4-0, including a 23-14 win the last time they played in 2016.
1. Air it out
A week after allowing more net passing yards than they have in 12 years, the Bears will face a Houston team that ranks second in passing yards per game and first in passing yards per play.
While wins have come infrequently for the Texans, Watson has the passing game rolling. Meanwhile the run game, with David Johnson and Duke Johnson at running back, has slipped behind the Bears as the worst in the NFL with 84.4 yards per game.
Watson is third in the NFL with a 110 passer rating, behind Aaron Rodgers (118.5) and Patrick Mahomes (113.8). Watson is second behind Mahomes with 3,542 passing yards. He has thrown 24 touchdown passes and 6 interceptions.
2. Keep it simple
If they want to, the Bears could use a similar offensive game plan as they did against the Lions last week. Houston's defense is one of the worst in the league, ranking 31st in rushing yards against (150.9 per game) and 30th in total yards (406.3 per game).
Head coach Matt Nagy, Trubisky and the Bears just need to keep it simple and avoid mistakes. They did so against the Lions for 57 minutes. Houston's defense sports a league-worst three interceptions on the season. If the Bears take what Houston gives them and avoid turnovers, they should move the ball like they did against Detroit.
3. Another interim head coach
If one loss to an interim head coach last week wasn't enough to fire Nagy, maybe two would be? Romeo Crennel took over Houston's top job from Bill O'Brien earlier this season. The Texans are 4-4 since Crennel became interim head coach.
While it doesn't feel likely the Bears would fire Nagy midseason if they haven't already, back-to-back losses against losing teams with interim coaches might be the final straw.
This is the third team Crennel has served as head coach for: Cleveland from 2005 to 2008, Kansas City first as interim coach in 2011, then as full-time Chiefs head coach in 2012, and now Houston.