Keys to a Bears victory over the Texans in Week 3

The Chicago Bears have a chance to wash the bitter aftertaste of their Week 2 loss to Green Bay with a tilt against the winless Houston Texans at Soldier Field on Sunday.

After a surprising first half against the Colts in Week 1, the Texans have largely sputtered, scoring just one touchdown in six quarters. Their defense is well-coached and tenacious but lacks an elite playmaker or two that can wreck an offense’s gameplan, something that both of the Bears’ first two opponents had.

This is a game that the Bears should win, but they’ll still need to bring their A-game to avoid the upset. Here are my three keys to victory for Week 3.

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Throw the ball on first down

The Bears have only attempted 28 passes through two weeks. Granted, Week 1 was a monsoon, and it’s important to remember that the sample size is still extremely small. But the Bears have to throw the ball more, and they have to give Justin Fields better throwing opportunities.

Throwing on first down is the easiest way to achieve this. First-and-10 gives the defense no situational clues as to the play the offense will run, especially early in the game, and it’s the best time for a talented quarterback like Fields to hit on a deep pass. The Bears need Fields to find a groove in this new offense finally, and the best way to do that is to put him into the most offense-friendly passing scenarios.

Khari Blasingame

According to Nicholas Moreano of the CHGO Bears podcast, Blasingame was on the field for 13 snaps on Sunday night, and in those snaps, the Bears gained a total of 110 yards and a touchdown. After the Bears’ first drive, he was sidelined until just six minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Chalk that up to inexperience for offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. The going got really tough for the Bears in the second quarter, and adding a fullback like Blasingame back into the playcalling should have been one of the solutions to kickstart the offense. Against Houston, the Bears should use Blasingame as much as possible to not only give Fields cleaner pockets but to clear a path for David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert.

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Stop the Run With Good Tackling

The Bears are currently last in the NFL in stopping the run. Context is required, though. The Bears have faced two of the best rushing teams in the league. Still, being dead last is unacceptable for a Matt Eberflus-led team.

The Texans do not have a Deebo Samuel, Elijah Mitchel, or Aaron Jones. However, you can bet that a team coached by Lovie Smith is going to lean on the run knowing their opponent has struggled in that area. Week 3 is the Bears’ defense’s chance to dominate the line of scrimmage and earn more respect across the league.

Of course, this depends on the Bears tackling better. According to head coach Matt Ebeflus and Eddie Jackson, proper tackling has been a priority this week in practice. Let’s hope we see the fruits of their labor come Sunday.

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