NEWSLETTER
In an attempt to catch up those who are new to the party, here are some things you might be curious to know about the upcoming Bears-Texans matchup:
• The Bears appeared to scout Clemson product Deshaun Watson quite heavily during the pre-draft process. They sent the cavalry (and then some!) to check out Watson’s pro day workout. Watson’s head coach had the audacity to compare him to Michael Jordan. Not saying the kid was Jordan, but in an effort to put it out there that passing on this guy would be a huge mistake.
• Chicago did not heed the words of Dabo Swinney. (Hey, it’s not as if the Bears weren’t warned!) Although, to be fair, Swinney thought Tajh Boyd was going to set the NFL on fire. And that simply didn’t happen. But that’s neither here nor there. The Bears didn’t take Dabo’s warning. In fact, their pro day interactions and a brief meeting at the NFL Scouting Combine was all the work they did on Watson. The front office had its eyes set on Mitchell Trubisky, and ultimately chose him with the second overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
• Last offseason, Watson did some tweeting about the Bears. It wasn’t a good look for the team, even if it turned out to be something of a misrepresentation of the situation. Because in any case, the damage had already been done.
In the end, the whole ordeal is a microcosm of the Bears’ organizational failure to get it right at quarterback.
Still looking forward to Sunday? I know I am.
“Never Tell Me The Odds”
The DraftKings SportsBook lists the Bears (5-7) as 2-point underdogs against the Texans (4-8). Over/under: 46.
Series History:
The Texans lead 4-0. Wow. Chicago is really winless against Houston. Depending on how you feel, this might not be the best time for that first win.
Game Time, Broadcast Info, Officiating Crew:
Location: Soldier Field
Broadcast Info: Sunday, December 13 at noon CT on CBS (Kevin Harlan, Terent Green, Melanie Collins), WBBM-AM 780 and WCFS-FM 105.9 (Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer, Mark Grote), ESPN Radio: Marc Kestecher, Barrett Jones
Referee: Land Clark
Expected Starters and Lineups:
Bears Expected Starters:
Offense
• QB Mitchell Trubisky
• RB David Montgomery
• WRs Allen Robinson II, Anthony Miller
• TE Jimmy Graham, Cole Kmet
• LT Charles Leno Jr., LG Cody Whitehair, C Sam Mustipher, RG Alex Bars, RT Germain Ifedi
Defense
• DT Akiem Hicks, NT Bilal Nichols, DE Brent Urban
• OLBs Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn
• ILBs Roquan Smith, Danny Trevathan
• CBs Kyle Fuller, Jaylon Johnson
• FS Eddie Jackson
• SS Tashaun Gipson Sr.
Specialists
• Cairo Santos (kicker), Pat O’Donnell (punter, holder), Patrick Sales (long snapper), Cordarrelle Patterson (kick returns), Anthony Miller (punt returns)
Texans Expected Starters:
• QB Deshaun Watson
• RB Duke Johnson
• WRs Brandin Cooks, Keke Coutee
• TE Darren Fells
• LT Laremy Tunsil, LG Max Scharping, C Nick Martin, RG Zach Fulton, RT Tytus Howard
Defense
• DL JJ Watt, DE Charles Omenihu, NT Brandon Dunn
• SLB Whitney Mercilus, WLB Zach Cunningham, MLB Tyrell Adams, JLB Jonathan Greenard
• CBs Vernon Hargreaves, Phillip Gaines
• FS Justin Reid, SS Eric Murray
Specialists
• Ka’imi Fairburn (kicker), Bryan Anger (punter, holder), Jonathan Weeks (long snapper), Keke Coutee (kick & punt returns)
Three Bears …
David Montgomery should feast on Sunday. Montgomery is averaging 6.2 yards per carry on 22 rushes since returning from the bye. He is running the like kind of player you would expect to see when a team trades up in the third round to draft. And that he’s up against a Texans team that gives up the second most fantasy points to running backs should give Bears fans hope. But that he’s gotten just 22 carries over the last two games is problematic on so many levels.
Sam Mustipher continues to be a pleasant surprise at center. His snaps have been true, while his blocking isn’t causing me to yell at the television. Admittedly, those are low bars to clear. But Mustipher is clearing them with flying colors. I’m curious to see how he continues to develop. If the arrow continues to point up, he could carve a role on the 2021 Bears.
Eddie Jackson has played 140 defensive snaps at slot corner. And with Buster Skrine out because of a concussion, we might see more Jackson in the depending on the matchup. It’s possible that Jackson stays entrenched in his free safety role, where he has played a vast majority of his snaps. That would allow him to shadow DeAndre Hopkins Brandin Cooks (if he even plays). If that’s the case, DeAndre Houston-Carson and Deon Bush figure to share some snaps in a rotation at slot corner.
