The Houston Texans take on the Chicago Bears Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT at Soldier Field.
To help preview the matchup, Alyssa Barbieri, managing editor for the Bears Wire, stops by to answer a few questions about the NFC North club.
Texans Wire: Do Bears fans even care they’ve never beaten the Texans?
AB: Not really. These two teams haven’t played enough for it to matter. The thing that Bears fans do care about is that GM Ryan Pace completely passed over QB Deshaun Watson in 2017, a move that’s ultimately going to be his undoing as Chicago spirals during a six-game losing streak. It was bad enough that Pace passed on Watson and Patrick Mahomes for Mitchell Trubisky, but it’s even worse considering Pace never considered Watson during the pre-draft process.
TW: Which is more surprising: the Bears’ 5-1 start or the six-game losing streak?
AB: That’s a good question. I would say the Bears’ 5-1 start isn’t as surprising given the level of competition that they faced to start the season. They faced some bad Lions, Giants, Falcons and Panthers teams during that streak, all wins. Their best win came against the Bucs. But the Bears’ six-game losing streak has been more surprising given how they lost. Chicago should’ve won all but that Packers game a couple of weeks ago – they were in a good position to win five of the last six. And considering the Bears haven’t lost six straight games since 2002, it’s pretty shocking.
TW: Would it have been better if the Bears just picked either Nick Foles or Mitch Trubisky instead of alternating as they have?
AB: Nick Foles was always Matt Nagy’s guy that he wanted to operate his offense much like Alex Smith did in Kansas City. The only problem is, Chicago doesn’t have the personnel that the Chiefs do, so Foles found himself running for his life and committing the kind of mistakes that got Trubisky benched. I do wonder how many games the Bears would’ve won had Nagy stuck with Trubisky instead of benching him in Week 3. Trubisky wasn’t great, but the offense looked efficient enough. Even now, since Trubisky has returned, the offense has been able to score points and establish the run, which is something they failed to do with Foles under center. Honestly, Nagy stuck with Foles for too long, especially considering the offense was atrocious for weeks.
TW: Does the Bears’ run game look bad on paper because of having to play behind so much, or is it because there’s no firepower back there?
AB: It’s a combination of both of those — and the fact that Nagy has an aversion to the run game. Nagy wanted to model the Bears’ offense after the Chiefs which, again, was impossible given they don’t have the talent, particularly at quarterback. Chicago’s offensive line has struggled most of this season getting a push up front, and David Montgomery has either run straight into a wall or has been hit two yards behind the line of scrimmage. The Bears run game has been better with Trubisky in at quarterback, where they’ve utilized under center more. The problem certainly hasn’t been Montgomery, who has shown that he can be an impressive running back when given a shot. He’s had two solid games against the Packers and Lions — which could’ve been even better if the Bears didn’t have to abandon the run at halftime against Green Bay and completely ignored Montgomery’s success in the second half against the Lions.
TW: How are you enjoying Tashaun Gipson?
AB: While the Bears’ secondary has struggled of late, Gipson has been an overall solid pick-up for Chicago’s secondary paired with Eddie Jackson. Things haven’t been perfect – which has been true all around – but he leads the Bears in interceptions with two this season.
TW: Who are some underrated Bears fans should keep an eye on Sunday
AB: Fifth-round rookie receiver Darnell Mooney has been one of the best things about Chicago’s offense this season, and he’d probably be making more of a splash if the Bears’ quarterbacks had been able to deliver him the deep ball when he’s gotten separation. On defense, defensive end Brent Urban has proven to be one of the Bears’ best additions, as he’s been quality depth and has been solid in the run and getting after the quarterback. Also, rookie Jaylon Johnson has been one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL this season, which was evident from the start of this season.
TW: What is your prediction for Week 14?
AB: The Bears have hit rock bottom with six straight losses, where their defense has lost its footing and its offense remains one of the worst in the league. Watson is going to show Chicago exactly what they missed by passing on him in the 2017 NFL Draft. Texans 31, Bears 24.
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