The Chicago Bears snapped a pair of losing streaks on Sunday, knocking off the Houston Texans for the first time in franchise history in a 36-7 blowout victory.
The Bears had lost their first four games against the Texans dating back to 2002, but finally got in the win column against Houston with a strong performance on both sides of the ball.
Mitchell Trubisky threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns, helping the Bears to snap a six-game losing streak that has seen the team tumble down the NFC standings.
The Bears’ offense wasted no time at all getting going in the first quarter, as David Montgomery took his first carry of the game all the way to the end zone on an 80-yard touchdown run to give Chicago a 7-0 lead.
Akiem Hicks and Khalil Mack, two of the Bears’ most important players on defense, teamed up for a huge play on the Texans’ next drive, stripping the ball away from Duke Johnson and giving the offense back the football. Unfortunately the Bears couldn’t take advantage of the turnover, but the play set the tone for the day in a big way.
On the Bears’ next drive, their offense once again got churning, as Allen Robinson hauled in three passes and Darnell Mooney and Jimmy Graham each made big plays to keep the drive going. Graham got the honors to finish up the drive, as he hauled in a Trubisky pass for a touchdown and a 14-0 Chicago lead.
The Texans were able to get on the board on their next drive, with a 48-yard reception by Johnson and a 14-yard run by Deshaun Watson. Watson then found Keke Coutee for an easy touchdown pass, making it 14-7 in an eventful first half.
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Once again the Bears’ defense came up big when the team needed them to, with Mack and Roquan Smith teaming up to tackle Watson in the end zone for a safety, pushing Chicago’s lead up to 16-7 with six minutes to go in the half.
The offense, not wanting to be left out, scored a pair of touchdowns late in the first half. Mooney caught a ball along the sideline and tip-toed his way into the end zone for the first score, and Robinson caught a three-yard touchdown pass with less than 10 seconds to go as the Bears secured a 30-7 lead heading into the break.
The Bears’ defense continued to hold serve as the second half got underway, including a key fourth down stop as they sacked AJ McCarron to hold the Texans at bay. Meanwhile, Cairo Santos continued his recent run of strong play, booting through a pair of field goals to put the Bears ahead by 29 points in the fourth quarter.
The Bears continued to get after Watson and the rest of the Texans for the remainder of the game, with Mario Edwards sacking Watson to end the game and to give the Bears the victory.
Looming on the schedule next week is a rematch against the Minnesota Vikings, with the game set for next Sunday in the Twin Cities.
