3 keys for Bears in 'Sunday Night Football' showdown with Texans

The Bears are taking on a much better team Sunday in the Texans than the one they squeaked by in the opener when they beat the Titans despite their offense sputtering. There’s almost no chance of that working in Houston.

Quarterback Caleb Williams obviously needs to play better, but that’s not the only priority for the Bears. Here are three keys for them against the Texans:

1. Williams’ accuracy
The outline of a good passing performance was there for Williams in the opener, but he couldn’t fill it in. The receivers ran sharp routes and were in the right spots, and Williams identified coverages correctly and worked through his progressions precisely as taught. His throws were just off. He was an accurate passer throughout his college and early pro career, and if he gets back to that, the passing game will accelerate significantly.

2. Run defense
The Bears were the best in the NFL last season at 86.4 yards rushing allowed per game, but struggled against the Titans and gave up 140 yards at 5.4 per carry. That type of performance would be problematic against the Texans and four-time 1,000-yard rusher Joe Mixon. He cruised through the Colts last week for 159 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries, making life much easier for quarterback C.J. Stroud.

3. Manage Anderson, Hunter
The Texans took a path at pass rusher that the Bears bypassed in favor of the route that led them to Caleb Williams. They drafted Alabama star Will Anderson third overall in 2023, and he made the Pro Bowl as a rookie. They then shelled out huge money for former Vikings star Danielle Hunter, a four-time Pro Bowl selection who had a career-high 16 ½ sacks last season. That’s a major challenge for Bears left tackle Braxton Jones and right tackle Darnell Wright.