Texans 19, BEARS 13

How Houston Texans survived defensive duel to best Bears

How Houston Texans survived defensive duel to best Bears
Texans defeat the Bears, 19-13. Composite Getty Image.

C.J. Stroud threw for 260 yards and a touchdown and Ka′imi Fairbairn kicked four field goals to help the Houston Texans top the Chicago Bears 19-13 on Sunday night.

Fairbairn connected from 56, 47, 59 and 53 yards, and Houston's defense put heavy pressure on Caleb Williams for much of the game.

Stroud’s 28-yard scoring pass to Nico Collins put Houston up 10-3 early in the second quarter, and the Texans led 16-10 at halftime.

Houston (2-0) had trouble moving the ball in the second half and managed only a field goal, but its defense intercepted Williams twice to secure the victory.

Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, was 23 of 37 for 174 yards. He was sacked seven times.

Houston’s Cam Akers fumbled on the Chicago 4 with about 6½ minutes left, and the Bears (1-1) recovered. Cairo Santos made a 54-yard field goal to make it 19-13 with 2:51 left.

The Texans couldn’t get anything going on their next drive and punted with about 90 seconds left. But Williams was sacked by Danielle Hunter on second down and his fourth-down pass fell incomplete to allow Houston to run out the clock.

Collins had 135 yards receiving for a second straight 100-yard game to power the offense in a game where Joe Mixon left briefly with an ankle injury. He managed just 25 yards rushing after he led the NFL with 159 yards rushing last weekend in his Houston debut.

Neither team scored in the second half until Houston extended the lead to 19-10 with a 53-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. That score was set up when Williams was hit as he threw and was intercepted by Derek Stingley.

On Chicago’s second play of the next drive Williams escaped a sack only to throw another interception. This time he was picked off by rookie Kamari Lassiter, a second-round pick from Georgia.

The Texans went in front for good on Collins' TD reception on the first play of the second quarter. That play came after he was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on the previous play for pushing his hand into Tyrique Stevenson’s face after the cornerback back put his hands in Collins’ face.

The Texans made it 13-3 with a 47-yard field goal on their next possession. Stroud had a stellar throw on the drive, finding Collins for an 18-yard gain on the run despite taking a hit as he threw.

A 2-yard scoring run by Khalil Herbert just before halftime cut Houston's lead to 13-10. It was the first touchdown on offense for the Bears this season after they failed to score any last week. The score was set up by a pass interference call on rookie Calen Bullock that gave the Bears a first down at the 6.

A 59-yard field goal by Fairbairn made it 16-10 at halftime.

Be sure to watch the video above as the crew from Texans on Tap reacts live to the Texans win over the Bears on YouTube!

Injuries

Bears: DL Zacch Pickens left in the second half with a groin injury. … WR Keenan Allen was inactive with a heel injury.

Up next

Bears: Visit Indianapolis next Sunday.

Texans: Visit Vikings next Sunday.

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Houston Astros get a reminder, and maybe a wake-up call

The Astros are looking to avoid being swept at home. Composite Getty Image.

The Houston Astros are looking to avoid an unexpected sweep Wednesday night as they wrap up their three-game set against the Cleveland Guardians at Daikin Park.

Winners of six of their last ten despite back-to-back losses, the Astros (55-37) turn to left-hander Brandon Walter (1-1, 4.15 ERA) to steady the ship and salvage the finale. Walter has been reliable in his recent outings, and he’ll face a Guardians lineup that has struggled to string together hits, batting just .204 over their last 10 games.

Cleveland (42-48) entered the series on a 10-game losing streak, but now has a chance to sweep the AL West leaders and take the season series. Slade Cecconi (3-4, 3.56 ERA) gets the start for the Guardians. The 26-year-old righty has kept his ERA under 4.00 this year and will look to neutralize a Houston offense that leads the American League in batting average at .260 and is hitting .295 over the last 10 games.

All eyes remain on Jose Altuve, who has driven in 16 runs and slugged four homers over his last 10 games. He’s been the heartbeat of the Houston offense, while Isaac Paredes continues to deliver steady power at the top of the lineup. The Astros have scored five or more runs in eight of their last ten games, but the bullpen faltered late in both of the first two games of this series.

Cleveland counters with the steady presence of Carlos Santana and the always-dangerous Jose Ramirez. Though Ramirez is just 6-for-38 in his last 10 games, he’s delivered key home runs in the series and remains the Guardians’ biggest threat.

With the season series now 3-2 in favor of Cleveland, Wednesday’s matchup carries added weight for the Astros as they look to regroup and avoid letting momentum slip further. First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET.

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -144, Guardians +121; over/under is 8 runs

Astros lineup for the finale

What stands out? First off, Jake Meyers returns to the lineup after missing a couple of games with a calf issue. With Meyers back in the two-spot, Cam Smith returns to hitting cleanup. Caratini is playing first base again and hitting fifth, followed by Yainer Diaz (C), Cooper Hummel (DH), Taylor Trammell (LF), and Mauricio Dubon (SS).

 

  Image via: MLB.com/Screenshot.

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