Official Texans @ Bears Game Thread, 11/11/2012
 

This week, the 7-1 Texans travel to Chicago to take on the 7-1 Bears in their second Sunday-nighter of the year. The Texans need to show better focus as they trudged through a 12 point win after coming off their bye over the Bills last Sunday. The team, as of this writing, have "questionable" status on Shaun Cody, Owen Daniels, Kevin Walter and Ben Tate although that could change between now and Sunday.

Da Bears pretty much annihilated the Titans last Sunday in their house 51-20. Chicago's offense ranks 3rd in the league with 29.5 pts/game of which their defense has contributed 8 touchdowns to that average, so far. QB Jay Cutler has thrown 12 TD's and 8 INT's and has a QB rating of 85.3 (18th) but can get hot. The Texan defense will need to keep him uncomfortable if they want to improve their chances of winning.....

TV = NBC (Channel 2 local), 7:30 pm Sunday

Announcers = Al Michaels, Chris Collinsworth

The line = pickem to Chicago by 1

Sunday viewing in the Houston area:

CBS early = Denver @ Carolina
FOX early = NY Giants @ Cincinnati
FOX late = Dallas @ Philadelphia

With the exception of a strong home-field performance against a basically crippled Ravens team (certainly on D), the Texans really haven't been too impressive at all in their last 4 games.
To me the keys to the game are (1) the Texans' front 7 getting enough pressure on the Bears passing game to slow down the Cutler-Marshal combo,
(2) the Texans' woeful STs going against stellar Bears' ST units led by Kevin Hester, and (3) whether the Texans' rushing-game is able to move the chains against the Bears D ?
No matter how badly I personally may want the Texans to prevail in their second Sunday-night try this season in front of national TV to redeem themselves for the real stinker vs the Packers earlier in Reliant, I just don't see it happening, therefor 21-13, Bears.

That seems to touch on the main points. Has the Bears OL turned a corner in protecting Cutler? I'm not sure.

Can the Texans run the ball on the Bears. Yes, to the left. Maybe no to the right.

I don't think the Texans STs will be giving Hester that many chances given the way they performed last week.

Two other questions: If Daniels is limited, who is going to take attention away from AJ in the passing game? Will weather be a factor? Temps likely in the 40s with strong chance for rain and 15-25 MPH winds.

My recollection of Bears-Broncos games during the Shanahan days are that his WCO struggled against the Bears who have been what they are for quite some time.

After thinking earlier in the season this could be a Texans win, my hunch says Bears take this one, 20-14.

We've got a 3-1 record and a +30 point differential in the last 3 games. If we play that "unimpressively" the rest of the season we finish at 13-3 with home field advantage throughout.

And I don't see how you dismiss the Ravens win. They may have looked crippled against the Texans, but they look pretty good against everyone else. Their offense especially has been very good this year, has few injuries, and was destroyed by our defense. That game was far more about what we did than what they were missing. Ray Lewis would had little effect on Joe Flacco posting the worst QBR in the 5 year history of the stat.

I am pretty sure the Bears game will be decided by things like the 2 points you made, and I am pretty sure the Bears game won't be decided by how "impressive" the Texans looked in the last 4 games.

I think they (Texans) got a punchers chance, here. They could win by 10, they could lose by 10.

Frankly, I think the Bear offense is going to struggle against the Texan defense. Cutler can be explosive in spurts.... but he is not the carve-master that a red hot Aaron Rodgers can be. Now, the Bears defense may score... the Bears special teams may score.... but I don't see the Bears offense running away with the game like the Green Bay offense was able to do.

The Texan offense needs to play clean - no sloppiness, no turnovers. Game total (over/under) is presently at 41 pts and dropping so the public thinks it will be a low scoring affair....

I think it could be a tight fairly low scoring game.

If Texans keep their composure, avoid dumb penalties and turnovers, then they can win.

Go Texans, show everyone you can win the tough games.

And I hope ST has turned the corner to atleast middle of the pack .

Wet and windy, maybe that helps Texans grind it out with their time of possession game.

Cutler doesn't scare me at all and the Texans' offense is diverse enough to move the ball on any defense. Ideally the Texans will somehow get a lead and force the Bears to throw the ball and reduce Forte's impact. Barring that it will be a matter of turnovers. The team that doesn't make them wins.

Cutler has been one of the worst QB in the NFL against the blitz this year (league-worst 14 sacks and %52.4 completion). The Texans have blitzed more than any NFL team this year. The bears struggle to score if their defense can't put it in the endzone. We are near the bottom of the NFL in turnovers.

I am definitely concerned about this game, but the matchups actually play out pretty nice for us. I would say (like everyone else who likes to state the obvious), that if we win the turnover battle it will be hard for us to lose this one.

People in Houston are starting to get goofy again with all this talk about Sundays game in ChiTown being the most important game in the Texans history. OK there's a lot of hype surrounding the game, a lot of national attention with two 7-1 teams and the big national TV audience and all, but the simple truth is next weeks game with the lowly Jags in Reliant is clearly a much more important game for the Texans 2012 season.

This upcoming game is not in the same universe of importance as any and every playoff game.

The game against New England will be "more important" than the Chicago game. Both are important, as is every game in the NFL.

Protect the ball. Don't kick to Hester. This is a week where Schaub's Shitty Throw of the Game (tm) can REALLY hurt us, especially if it's thrown to Charles Tillman.

Just play smart. These two teams are pretty similar, IMO.

Gonna have to watch this game recorded. Uncle's 50th tonight. Argh.

My new work schedule will have me working Saturday and Sunday (afternoons and evenings) so this is the last Sunday game I will watch live for the rest of the year. I'll get to see the Monday Night game though since that is a day off.

In schaub's last 18 games (last 2 seasons) he has 11 games without an interception and only 7 games with one. Your (tm) statement is stupid and inaccurate.

Inactives
 

Texans:
RB Ben Tate
TE Owen Daniels
G Brandon Brooks
G Cody White
DT Shaun Cody
S Troy Nolan
CB Rashad Carmichael

Bears:
WR Alshon Jeffery
WR Dane Sanzenbacher
TE Brody Eldridge
OL Edwin Williams
DT Amobi Okoye
DT Matt Toeaina
DE Cheta Ozougwu

Almost gametime.... lookin' like some nasty weather...

Late betting action favored the Texans....

Texans win the toss and will receive....

Martin gets hit and fumbles the ball --- Bears recover....

Replay showing Martin was down.... surely it will be overturned?

Fumble ruling is overturned, Texans ball at their 18.

Whew, near disaster.

Rain.

Manning creates fumble and Dobbins takes to 30.

That's the way D.

Schaub dumps off to Graham for gain of 1.

Deep pass to AJ a tad too long, off his hands, inc. 3rd and 9 coming up.

Foster for about 4 or 5. Texans to punt.

Hester brings the punt back to the Bear 45, 20 yds on the return.

Yeah baby, pass to Davis is stripped by Manning, picked up by Dobbins and returned all the way to the Bear 28. 15-yard penalty against the Texan bench added at the end of the run. Ball at the Bear 43, Texans ball.

Pass to AJ goes for 11 or 12.

Schaub's pass over the middle to AJ sails inc. 2nd and 10 coming up at the Bear 32.

Foster sweeps left for 3. 3rd and 7 coming up.

Dump to AJ goes for 7 and the 1st down.

Foster goes right for about 1.

Foster goes off right tackle for 13. 1st and goal at the 7.

Foster for maybe 1. 2nd and goal at the 6 coming up.

Foster for 1, again. 3rd and goal from the 5....

Swing pass to Foster only gets 2.... Texans to go for the FG.

Graham's 20-yarder is good.

Texans 3, Bears 0

8:13 left in the 1st quarter.