3 and Out: Chicago Bears comeback falls short in 19-13 loss to Houston Texans

The Bears failed to finish their comeback in the second half of a 19-13 loss to the Texans in front of a national audience on Sunday Night Football. Here’s what you need to know.

Three moments that mattered

1. Missed opportunity: Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense had a chance to go win the game if they drove from their own 20 yard line with 1:37 left in the game. Williams completed a 27-yard pass to Rome Odunze on the drive’s first play, but that was the lone completion of the drive. Facing fourth-and-17, Williams missed Odunze for a chance to pick up a first down.

2. Giving them a chance: The Bears defense ended a strong second half by giving the offense a chance to win the game. With the Texans leading 19-13 with 2:45 left in the game, the Bears defense forced a three-and-out, taking just over a minute of game time off the clock. The defense stopped a third-and-17 to force the three-and-out.

3. Getting on the board: The Bears offense scored its first touchdown of the season late in the second quarter to keep the game at a one-score difference. After the defense forced a three-and-out, the offense drove 49 yards in one of its best drives of the season. The unit capped the drive with a 2-yard run from running back Khalil Herbert to make it a 13-10 Texans lead with 32 seconds left in the second quarter.

Three things that worked

1. Defensive adjustments: After allowing 16 points in the first half and failing to stop the Texans in the first half, the defense made the right halftime adjustments to give the Bears a chance to win the game. The Texans scored three points in the second half and the Bears defense limited Houston to three points after two Williams interceptions.

2. Forcing another turnover: The Bears defense continued its strong start to the season by creating another turnover against the Texans in the fourth quarter. Defensive tackle Andrew Billings forced a fumble on the Chicago 4 that safety Kevin Byard III recovered with 6:28 left in the game. The Bears scored on a 54-yard field goal by Bears kicker Cairo Santos to make it a 19-13 Texans lead.

3. Williams shows promise early: Williams looked drastically different at the start of Sunday’s game compared to his debut against the Titans in Week 1. He completed all five of his pass attempts on the opening drive that went 42 yards. The Bears ended up scoring on a 53-yard field from Santos to tie the game at 3-3 with 3:51 left in the first quarter.

Three things that didn’t

1. Protecting Williams: For the second straight week, the Bears offensive line struggled to protect Williams on top of creating any room for the rushing attack. The Texans sacked Williams seven times for 40 yards and had 11 quarterback hits on Williams. The offensive line also had four of the team’s nine penalties, with Nate Davis leading the unit with two.

2. First half defense: The Texans did what they wanted in the first half offensively as the Bears struggled in the first half for the second straight game. Houston scored points on four of its five drives in the first half, including two 55-plus field goals from Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn. Stroud threw for 173 yards in the first half, averaging 9.1 yards per pass attempt.

3. Running the ball: A week after rushing for 84 yards against the Tennessee Titans, things didn’t get too much better for running back room against the Texans. The Bears finished with 71 rushing yards Sunday, with Williams leading the way with 44 yards, after the Bears averaged 141 rushing yards per game last season. The offense had 18 rushing yards in the first half and Williams led the group with 9 yards on two carries.

What’s next?

The Bears travel down I-65 next Sunday to take on the Colts at noon.