Chicago Bears

Bears Lose Season Opener to Texans, 23-14

Thanks to a fourth-quarter touchdown by Will Fuller, the Houston Texans beat the Chicago Bears 23-14 on Sunday afternoon in the season opening game for both teams.

Jeremy Langford rushed for a touchdown, and Eddie Royal caught another one, but it wasn't enough as the Bears lost.

The Texans had a solid offensive possession to start the game, with Lamar Miller showing his muscle early on, but the Bears' defense came up with a huge play. Brock Osweiler attempted a back-shoulder throw to DeAndre Hopkins, but Tracy Porter read the play perfectly and snatched an interception to give Chicago the ball.

The Bears established their passing game early on offense, with Eddie Royal and Alshon Jeffery both grabbing first down passes to move the team into the red zone.

After a penalty on the Texans for pass interference, the Bears punched the ball in to grab an early lead. Jeremy Langford did the honors, plunging in for a one-yard touchdown to give the Bears a 7-0 lead about halfway through the first quarter.

As the first quarter wore on, the Bears' defense continued to make big plays, but their offense couldn't follow suit. On a 4th-and-1 in Houston territory, Jay Cutler fumbled away a snap from rookie center Cody Whitehair, giving the Texans back the ball.

Finally, the Texans were able to get on the board early in the second quarter. The Bears did make a few big plays to keep them out of the end zone (and benefitted from a questionable penalty on Hopkins), and Nick Novak booted through a short field goal to make it a 7-3 game.

The Texans' offense found its groove again late in the second quarter as they seized a late first half lead over Chicago. Osweiler lofted a perfect pass to the back of the end zone and Hopkins made a remarkable catch to give Houston a 10-7 lead with about three minutes remaining in the first half.

The Bears' offense, stagnant for most of the second quarter, came together at exactly the right time as they stole the lead back before the half. Alshon Jeffery made a big catch to get the Bears within the red zone, and Eddie Royal hauled in a 20-yard catch over the middle to put Chicago ahead 14-10 at the half.

Just as soon as Cutler seemed to figure things out, he threw an interception early in the third quarter (although Kevin White breaking off his route didn't help matters), and the Texans got the ball deep in Chicago territory. The Bears did hold them to a field goal however, and retained a 14-13 lead.

After an uneventful end to the third quarter, the Texans' offense kicked into gear in the fourth quarter and took the lead away from Chicago. On a screen pass, Osweiler found Fuller in the flat, and the wide receiver evaded every Bears tacikler on his way to the end zone to give Houston a 20-14 lead with 12 and a half minutes remaining in the game.

Cutler and the Bears' offense continued to struggle as the fourth quarter wore on, and the Texans took advantage. Fuller caught another long pass to give the Texans prime field position, and although they had to settle for a field goal, they still grabbed a 23-14 lead with six minutes to go in the game.

The Bears had an opportunity in the two-minute drill to come back, but after two catches by White, their offense stalled out and they fell to 0-1 on the season.

The Bears will look to rebound in Week 2 as they open the home portion of their scheduled with a Monday night showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., and the game will be aired on ESPN.

Contact Us