Bears vs. Texans Prediction, Odds, Spread, Injuries, Trends for NFL Week 2

Jennifer Piacenti | Sep 10, 2024

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo (54) moves in to tackle Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, CJ Stroud, and the 2023 AFC South Champion Houston Texans will host number one overall NFL Draft pick, Caleb Williams, and the Chicago Bears in Prime Time Sunday night.

The Texans exceeded all expectations last season, winning the AFC and eliminating the Cleveland Browns in Wild Card Weekend before ultimately losing to the Baltimore Ravens.  The Texans went from worst to first in a hurry led by rookie head coach DeMeco Ryans and QB CJ Stroud.  

Houston opened the season on the road in Indianapolis, and though they did not cover the spread, they did emerge with the win over their division rivals.  The Texans are currently the favorites to win the AFC South (-160) and they have the sixth-best odds to win the Super Bowl, according to DraftKings (+1300).

The Bears have a lot of optimism after choosing Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze in the draft as well as adding Keenen Allen to their receiving room in the offseason.  The Bears logged their first win in the Caleb Williams era on Sunday, defeating the Titans, 20-1, despite scoring no offensive touchdowns. 

It's no surprise that Houston is favored at home for this matchup. This will be the first matchup for these two teams since 2022, and the first matchup between these starting quarterbacks. 

Bears vs. Texans Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

• Texans -6.5
• Bears +6.5

Moneyline

• Texans -290
• Bears +235

Total

• 45.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Bears vs. Texans How to Watch

• Date: Sunday September 15, 2024 
• Game Time: 8:20 pm EST 
• Venue: NRG Stadium 
• How to Watch: NBC
• Texans Record: 1-0
• Bears Record: 1-0

Bears vs. Texans Betting Trends

• Houston went 11-8 in 2023
• Chicago finished with a 7-10 record in 2023
• Chicago was 8-7-2 ATS in 2023
• Houston was 10-9 ATS
• Houston was 7-3 at  home last season
• Chicago went 2-7 when away 

Bears vs. Texans Injury Reports

Bears Injury Report

• CB Jeff Okudah (hip)- Questionable 

Texans Injury Report

• WR Rome Odunze (knee)
• Keenan Allen (undisclosed)

Bears vs. Texans Key Players to Watch

Chicago Bears

Caleb Williams: The Bears logged the win on Sunday, but Williams was less than impressive, completing just 48.3% of his passes for 93 yards while adding another 15 yards on the ground.   Bears fans will want to see more this week vs. a Texans defense that allowed two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown to Anthony Richardson in Week 1.   Houston gave up most of the yards to Richsrdson on just a few big plays. Can Caleb and DJ Moore connect for a big strike? 

Houston Texans

Joe Mixon: Mixon had a dominant debut vs. the Colts, carrying the ball 30 times for 159 yards (5.3 yards per carry) and a touchdown while also catching all three of his targets for 19 yards.  Houston will look to keep him going vs. a Bears defense that allowed 103 rushing yards and 5.15 yards per carry to Titans runners in Week 1. 

Bears vs. Texans Prediction and Pick

Despite not covering the spread and allowing a few big plays to Anthony Richardson, the Texans looked every bit the AFC South favorites last Sunday.  CJ Stroud spread the ball around to all of his receivers, with Nico Collins leading the team in receiving yards and Stefon Diggs finding the end zone twice. 

The Houston defense, despite allowing those few big plays, should be able to hold up their own vs. a rookie QB. The Texans were able to limit Jonathan Taylor to just 48 yards and 3.0 yards per attempt on Sunday. Look for them to stay tough vs. the Chicago backfield. It will be up to Williams to make the difference in this game. 

On the other side, Williams could make some progress following the Colts' blueprint and taking some shots downfield.  Look for DJ Moore to see those targets with Rome Odunze and Keenan Allen banged up. 

The Chicago defense was the star of the game in Week 1, but they should not have it as easy this week vs. Stroud who led the league with just a 1% interception rate in 2023. Houston averaged a league-best .8 giveaways per game last season, and though Stroud will likely take some sacks, that hasn’t kept him from putting up points in the past.   The Bears allowed just 127 passing yards and one touchdown to Will Levis last weekend, but that won’t be the case this week vs. the Texans who are -6.5 favorites with an implied point total of 26. 

I’ll bet the Texans and their stacked offense can cover in their home opener. 

Pick:  Texans -6.5

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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