HOUSTON — The scoreboard following the Houston Texans’ 19-13 victory over the Chicago Bears Sunday night at NRG Stadium may have reflected a mere six-point differential.
A calendar year may seemingly separate the two squads’ construction timelines by 12 months.
Last season, Houston drafted their quarterback of the future after setting the table in part the year before and then adding additional pieces in 2023 before further fortifying the roster this offseason. This year the Bears shot their shot, selecting their anticipated franchise savior while providing him with what they hope rounds into a formidable supporting cast.
But make no mistake. The Texans are light-years ahead of their Sunday evening guests in their quest for contention. Their victorious Week 2 performance — an affair far more lopsided than the scoreboard reflected — displayed the differences between the two franchises. The Texans have offered a blueprint for success. But Chicago’s team architects, coaches and players have much to learn before they can pull off the organizational turnaround that rivals the revival for which Houston seems destined.
With their win over Chicago, the Texans improved to 2-0 — a feat only six other teams can boast. A year can make a lot of difference in this league. This time last year, Houston had stumbled out to an 0-2 mark while still trying to put it all together and figure out exactly how to win in a fashion that fit coach DeMeco Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio’s vision. And then something clicked. The Texans, led by then-rookie C.J. Stroud, got their first win, and another, and before they knew it, they won 10 of the next 15 games, captured the AFC South and clinched a playoff berth. The journey continued with a first-round win over Cleveland before a lopsided loss to Baltimore.
But now two games into Year 2 under Ryans, there’s a strong sense of understanding. There’s no guesswork with these Texans. They know what they want to be and how to get there. They remain a work in progress. That’s for sure. But the course they have plotted seems destined for great heights.
Sunday night’s performance offered glimpses of the juggernaut that the Texans can become as early as this year.
Their squad boasts a well-rounded offense led by one of the brightest young stars in Stroud, who last season displayed a poise, understanding and knack for making big-time plays in the most pressure-packed situations. They’re a unit that features a fierce defense capable of delivering tide-shifting and game-changing plays at any moment, and a team with a consistent special teams unit that can deliver clutch plays that help compensate for any shortcomings.
Complementary perfectly describes the Texans, because as Sunday night proved, it’s hard to run on all cylinders in every phase of the game for all 60 minutes. In those moments where one of the three units comes up short, one or both of the others must pick up the slack, and the Texans showed they can do just that.
It wasn’t just Sunday. We witnessed this resilience and versatility last season. Now the Texans are stronger thanks to experience and additional difference-makers acquired through free agency and the draft.
Kamari Lassiter has a 90.9 PFF grade into the 4th quarter.
Impressive game from the rookie CB so far.
— All-22 (@All22_PFF) September 16, 2024
The win over Chicago saw the offense march downfield at will on the unit’s second possession. The unit’s members shrugged off penalties and continued to execute, capping that drive with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Stroud to Nico Collins. But when the offense saw their next three possessions stall, a special teams unit anchored by Ka’imi Fairbairn delivered. The kicker nailed field goals of 56, 47, 59 and 53 yards on the night. Later, the Texans defense shouldered the load by overwhelming Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and forcing him into a pair of interceptions. The Texans also sacked the top rookie seven times and held him without a single touchdown pass. Houston committed an uncharacteristic 12 penalties for 115 yards, but the players still managed to overcome those self-inflicted wounds and position themselves for victory.
“It’s just about winning, right?” Ryans explained after the game. “One week at a time. It’s not always going to be pretty, but you just have to find a way to win. And that’s what I’m most proud about with our guys. Like, no matter what happened near the end, we found a way to win with all the penalties, all of the negative plays, and we were able to pull out a win, and that’s what this league is about.”
Regardless of the unit, the Texans seem to carry themselves with an unwavering intentionalism. Offensively, although Stroud is the ultimate dual threat with his arm and legs, offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is careful to never abandon the rushing attack. It may not always generate huge gains, but he keeps sprinkling in run plays because he fully understands that balance is the key to easing pressure on the quarterback by keeping a defense off-balance.
Ryans’ defense relies on a disruptive front that harasses opposing quarterbacks and takes away running lanes. Houston’s defenders did this much of Sunday night. They pressured Chicago rookie quarterback Williams 36 times in 37 dropbacks. Ryans said he felt comfortable calling so many blitzes because of his confidence in his secondary.
“The way we were covering in the back end, that really set things apart. … You don’t get pressure unless the coverage is tight,” the linebacker-turned-coach explained.
The Texans’ effectiveness in game-planning and executing offered stark contrasts to Chicago, whose coaches have yet to figure out how to position Williams to play like the difference-maker that he seemingly has the capability of becoming.
The Bears at times feel like the cook that’s trying to duplicate a recipe without the surety of the ingredients or steps required for mastery.
General manager Ryan Poles has gone out and acquired playmakers both in free agency and the draft, but it’s debatable whether all of those pieces fit with the vision of his coaches. Coach Matt Eberflus even hired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron — an offshoot of the highly successful Shanahan coaching tree, from which the Texans’ Slowik also hails — but thus far, Waldron hasn’t demonstrated an understanding of the importance of establishing a strong run game to ease pressure on his young quarterback.
Sure, Williams possesses a strong arm, impressive athleticism and smarts. But when the Bears made no effort to get their rushing game on track, the Texans defenders were able to pin back their ears and go after him again and again.
Stroud has a great understanding of how to play within himself and avoid doing too much and thus putting himself and his offense in crippling situations. And the trust that he has both in his offense and his weapons is evident as the young quarterback turned broken plays into big-gainers.
“This being his second year, you know, it means a lot,” wide receiver Collins, who had eight catches for 135 yards and a touchdown Sunday night, praised. “ You know, second year in the offense, he’s just relaxing, you know. But for him, he continued to lead the way he has. … Whenever the pressure’s hard, you know, he shines the brightest.”
Williams, meanwhile, looks like a player still trying to catch up to the speed of the game while learning what he can and can’t get away with. He seemed to go from unsettled to frustrated and began forcing throws. At times while under pressure, he tried to use the same Houdini escape artistry that made him an impressive prospect at USC, only to find that the Texans defenders are much faster and much more disciplined than his former college foes, and rarely did he escape their clutches to deliver devastating throws or runs.
As the pressure began to mount, and the desperation set in, Chicago’s offensive line was exposed. Breakdown after breakdown occurred, and the Texans sent one free-runner at the young quarterback after another, each delivering crushing blows that the Bears can’t afford for him to continue to take if they want him to last a full season.
No offense is going to click flawlessly. No defense is immune to breakdowns in coverage. But teams that manage to keep miscues to a minimum usually prevail. The Texans and Bears both aspire to play mistake-free football, but one of them comes far closer than the other.
Again, the Texans are farther along in their timeline, so greater success is to be expected. But clarity of vision both in roster construction and coaching and development positioned the Texans for their surprise divisional-winning campaign in 2023. Continued success in these areas has them seemingly primed for greater achievements this season.
If the Bears aspire to pull off a similar turnaround behind their rookie quarterback, their coaches and talent evaluators would be wise to carefully study the reasons and moves behind Houston’s success and learn from them.
(Top photo of C.J. Stroud and Caleb Williams talking after Sunday’s game: Troy Taormina / Imagn Images)
