There is a great Sunday Night Football game between the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans. Here is how to bet on the game at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Bears (+6.5) at Texans o/u 45.5
Last year’s No. 2 overall pick and Offensive Rookie of the Year, C.J. Stroud faces off against this year’s No. 1 overall pick and favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, Caleb Williams. Both teams started the season 1-0 and will look to pick up a pivotal victory in this primetime matchup.
Bears Team Breakdown
The Bears had a bizarre Week 1 game against the Titans, coming back from down 17 points to get a win without scoring an offensive touchdown. They had a blocked punt touchdown, a pick six and a bunch of field goals en route to a 24-17 win. The Bears’ defense looks like a pretty solid unit for the most part, although they were beaten on a couple of deep balls in the first half. Will Levis was fifth in the NFL in air yards per attempt last week and that is not a good sign when facing C.J. Stroud next.
Caleb Williams did not look ready for the NFL in Week 1. Williams should be a good NFL quarterback in the long term, but he struggled a lot in Week 1 and now has to face a really well-coached defense on the road in primetime. This could be another tough matchup for Williams as he gets more comfortable playing at the NFL level. The Bears’ biggest concern entering this season was the offensive line and that got exposed in Week 1. Part of Williams’ struggles was the pass rush getting in his face quickly. That group will need to improve as a unit to help out their rookie quarterback.
Texans Team Breakdown
The Texans’ offense looked better than ever to start the season. C.J. Stroud picked up right where he left off last season and the Texans’ new weapons played a huge role in the game. Stefon Diggs had two touchdown catches and Joe Mixon dominated on the ground with 159 rushing yards and a touchdown. The two newcomers put all three touchdowns on the board for the Texans’ offense and Nico Collins also had a monster day. Last year, the Texans had no real running threat, and now they should be way more dangerous with Mixon running like he did last week.
The Texans’ defense gave up two deep shots to the Colts, but outside of those big plays, they kept the Colts’ offense in check. They held Jonathan Taylor to just 3.0 yards per carry for 48 yards. Anthony Richardson hit a couple of deep balls but overall he finished 19th in EPA + CPOE composite. If the Texans make a couple of adjustments to limit the deep ball, their defense could be among the league’s best.
Pick and Prediction
This is a good matchup for the Texans. The Titans ran for 140 yards against the Bears in Week 1, which means Mixon should feast based on how he performed in Week 1. The Texans also have a much more dangerous passing attack for the defense to worry about, which should open the ground game up even more for Houston.
Caleb Williams was bailed out by his defense and special teams to win his first game, but now he needs to play his first NFL road game and his first primetime NFL game. The Texans’ defense should keep things simple and keep everything in front of them in this game. Williams is unlikely to beat them over the top like Anthony Richardson did last week. The Texans have an incredibly well-coached defense and that is usually really tough on an opposing rookie quarterback.
The Bears allowed the Titans to jump out to an early lead in Week 1 and they scored non-offensive touchdowns to get back into the game and win. The Texans will not make the same mistakes the Titans did and if the Bears allow them to jump out to an early lead, Houston may just step on their throat and turn this into a blowout.
Best Bet: Texans -6.5
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