The Houston Texans have a Week 2 primetime matchup with the Chicago Bears looming. After a big division win over the Colts, the defending AFC South champions are looking to move to 2-0. Ahead of the Texans and Bears squaring off, we’ll be releasing our Texans Week 2 bold predictions.
Houston traveled up to Indianapolis for a Week 1 rivalry battle. CJ Stroud and crew squeaked out a two-point win on the backs of Joe Mixon and Stefon Diggs. Mixon ran for 159 yards and a touchdown in his first game with the Texans and Diggs scored two touchdowns in his Houston debut. The impressive win puts them in the driver’s seat for the AFC South title.
The Bears won Caleb Williams’ debut 24-17 despite not scoring an offensive touchdown. A blocked punt and interception turned into their only touchdowns, taking advantage of a poor Will Levis performance to win the game. While they won the game, the offensive performance was less than impressive.
With a Sunday Night Football matchup looming, let’s take a look at the Texans Week 2 bold predictions.
CJ Stroud will throw for 300 yards
Will Levis and the Tennessee Titans struggled against the Bears’ defense in Week 1. His 127 passing yards and one touchdown mostly came in the first half, when they took a 17-3 lead. They blew the game with massive mistakes that the Texans do not traditionally make. Stroud threw over two interceptions just once in his rookie year, so the Titans would need a different game plan to win this game.
With his loaded group of skill position players, Stroud will succeed against the Bears’ defense. They have a stout defense and can have some success, but the Texans offense has better players than the defense and should shine. With Mixon now in the fold, there is a run game to prepare for in the game.
Last year, the running game was terrible for the Texans. They signed Mixon because he was familiar with their zone run scheme and it paid off in Week 1. Stroud’s passing yard numbers took a slight dip down the stretch because defenses learned that Dameon Pierce was not a dynamic back. Mixon proved that they have one this year and should open up the passing game for Stroud.
Nico Collins and Joe Mixon will score touchdowns
All of that will turn into multiple touchdowns for the Texans on Sunday. Even though the Bears had such a great second half, they will have a tough matchup. Expect Nico Collins and Joe Mixon to hit paydirt in their Week 2 matchup. Collins led the team in receiving yards with 117 last Sunday and will score his first touchdown of the season in the game.
The narrative around Stefon Diggs is that he is washed and could not produce the way he did in Minnesota and Buffalo. He proved the doubters wrong with a two-touchdown performance. The Bears’ defense will pay more attention to him, allowing Collins, Tank Dell, and Dalton Schultz to get a little more space in the red zone.
Tony Pollard gashed the Bears’ defense in the first half for 62 rushing yards and a touchdown. When the offense went downhill, he went downhill in the second half. If the Texans’ offense performs to expectation, Mixon will rush for over 100 yards and hit the end zone in this game.
The Texans will beat the Bears by 7+ points
The Texans’ defense has a big performance to live up to, as the Titans only allowed 93 passing yards to Caleb Williams. With Rome Odunze and Keenan Allen on the injury report, it will be even tougher sledding for the offense. Derek Stingley will have a DJ Moore assignment that he should ace and Will Anderson Jr can rush Williams into poor decisions.
FanDuel has the Texans as 6.5-point favorites for their home opener. Expect them to cover that number in a dominant performance in Week 2. While the Bears could be a sneaky playoff team this year, they will not start a winning streak in this game.
