A season-opening 23-14 loss to the Texans was not in the plans. On the road, against a talent-loaded defense, the Bears simply couldn’t generate enough offensive rhythm to fuel an upset bid.
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Literally. Early in the first quarter, Bears defensive lineman Mitch Unrein had a hold of Brock Osweiler’s jersey with both hands but couldn’t bring him down, and the Houston quarterback ended up running for 15 yards and a first down. But with a chance to build on that momentum immediately after the break, the Bears malfunctioned.
His biggest blunder of the day came when he cut his route short leading to a Cutler interception in the third quarter. Overall, the Bears had seven possessions after halftime but netted only 71 yards. It’s not that hard, but the guys that they have are really, really good at it. “And they showed us today how good they were”. Cutler was 16-of-29 for 216 yards, one touchdown, one interception and 76.2 passer rating.
The same can be said about Kevin White, who had a tough Bears debut.
He didn’t do much in the final two quarters, and he did have a critical drop on a third-down play that would’ve kept the drive alive, but he was the only player who challenged the Texans defense on Sunday. His high for the Dolphins last season in a game was 22 touches against the Eagles on November 15.
Alshon Jeffery led the Bears with 4 receptions for 105 yards, while Royal added 4 catches for 57 yards and an impressive TD in which he fooled the slot corner with a head fake.
“He’s unbelievable out there”, Cutler said.
“I love everything about him”, Osweiler said of Fuller.
The Texans took a 14-13 lead off a field goal on the ensuing drive and Chicago’s offense could not recover. (Not to brag, but if it were a three-quarter game, we would’ve been right.) But the Texans consistently had third and short opportunities and they nearly always converted them.
HOUSTON (AP) – The huge offseason investment the Houston Texans made in Brock Osweiler paid immediate dividends in the season opener. That performance led the Bears to a 14-13 lead, as they headed into the locker room. I thought they liked new kicker Connor Barth? “For sure”, safety Harold Jones-Quartey said. His 18-yard scoring pass to Fuller with 12:44 remaining in the fourth quarter provided the Texans (1-0) the lead for good.
Late in the first half, Cutler took a shot to the ribs while delivering a pass, then took longer than usual to get to his feet. A botched snap between rookie center Cody Whitehair and Cutler resulted in no gain and a turnover on downs. “Especially when you get into backyard football where you have to throw to catch up”.
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Up next: The Bears’ home opener will come under the “Monday Night Football” lights September 19 against the Eagles.
