The Houston Texans will battle the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football as the primetime game of the week.
These two potential contenders met earlier in the preseason as part of the Hall of Fame game. Starters didn’t play, so Sunday night on NBC will mark the first time C.J. Stroud and Caleb Williams do battle in their careers.
Both were Heisman finalists when Williams won the award at USC in 2022. Stroud, who won Offensive Rookie of the Year last fall after guiding Houston to its first postseason berth in four years, said Willaims is a playmaker who excels at extending plays and “making all the cool throws.”
“You don’t gotta be a superhero, you don’t gotta try to make all the plays,” Stroud said. “Sometimes the boring plays are good.”
Houston is fresh off a 29-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts thanks to newcomers setting the tone. Stefon Diggs caught two touchdown passes and finished with six receptions.
Joe Mixon, who won AFC Offensive Player of the Week, rushed for a league-leading 159 yards on 30 carries and a scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, Chicago is coming off a 24-17 comeback win over the Tennessee Titans (0-1), where defense and special teams rose to the occasion as rookie Caleb Williams and the offense struggled. After trailing 17-0, the Bears scored 24 unanswered points, notching three takeaways and scoring defensive and special teams touchdowns en route to the miraculous win.
The Texans are a 6.5-point home favorite against the Bears, per BetMGM. It’s not surprising considering that Williams struggled on his debut and benefitted for stellar defensive play.
Will Houston set a standard in the home opener? Will the Bears become the team people must talk about heading into Week 3?
Who wins on Sunday?
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