The Houston Texans had the most yards rushing in the NFL with 213 in a Week 1 win over Indianapolis and their 417 total yards ranked second.
Not bad, the Texans say, but they’re certain they can do much more as they prepare for this week’s “Sunday Night Football” matchup with the Chicago Bears.
For the Bears, the best way to describe their offensive performance in the opener against Tennessee would be forgettable. No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams completed just 14 of 29 passes for 93 yards and Chicago did not score a touchdown on offense. But the Bears rallied from a 17-point deficit for the win thanks to a touchdown on defense and a special teams score.
There’s a lot of things Williams would like to do better, but he’s encouraged that the team still managed to get a win despite his struggles. He’s the first No. 1 pick to win his first start since David Carr helped Houston to a victory over Dallas in the first game in franchise history in 2002.
Williams could be down a wide receiver or two with rookie Rome Odunze and six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen dealing with injuries.
The Bears were at least breathing a little easier this week after an MRI on Odunze’s knee showed no major structural damage. Drafted ninth overall, he sprained an MCL blocking late in the Tennessee game and hopped off the field on the next play.
Allen, acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers, has been dealing with a heel issue for a few weeks. He sat out practice on Wednesday.
Allen and Odunze were two of the biggest additions behind Williams in an offseason overhaul to the offense. With DJ Moore in his second season in Chicago, the Bears might have one of the deepest wide receiver groups.
The injuries could mean Tyler Scott - a healthy inactive last week - starts.
What they have this year is a powerful running game, led by former Bengals star Mixon, that has bolstered an offense run by Stroud and which added star receiver Stefon Diggs this offseason.
Mixon had a career-high 30 carries for 159 yards and a touchdown in his Houston debut to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Early indications are that he will give the Texans a steady presence at running back after years of struggles at the position.
Coach DeMeco Ryans gave Mixon and the running game credit for carrying the team Sunday.
Stroud didn’t waste any time getting things going with Diggs in their first game together last week after his blockbuster trade from Buffalo. Stroud threw two touchdown passes against the Colts and both were to Diggs.
Diggs joined Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans and Allen Lazard of the New York Jets as the only players to have two TD receptions last week.
Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson is off to a good start after finishing last season on a strong note.
The second-year pro was NFC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in three games going back to last season, after returning an interception 43 yards for the go-ahead touchdown against Tennessee and his first career score.
Stevenson also took those honors for his performance in Week 17 last year, when he had two interceptions in a win over Atlanta. And with Pro Bowler Jaylon Johnson at the other cornerback spot, quarterbacks will have a tough time finding openings.
Game time is 7:30 pm.
