Bears and Texans In-Game Blog | Final: Bears 36, Texans 7

A live in-game blog from Soldier Field with BearDigest.com's Gene Chamberlain at the fifth meeting between the Houston Texans (4-8) and Chicago Bears (5-7) as the Bears attempt to end a six-game losing streak.

Fourth Quarter

• Texans floundering near midfield with the two-minute warning. Signing off here. It's apparent the Bears' streak has ended. Bears get seventh sack on Mario Edwards hit. Time runs out. Bears 36, Texans 7

• Punt by Bears and Texans' Coutee fumbles it. Josh Woods recovers it and Bears are at the Houston 27. Sherrick McManis forces the fumble.

• Smith another sack after Akiem Hicks trips up Watson briefly. Texans to punt. Bears start at their 27 with 9:04 left.

• Duke Shelley with a pass breakup. He's doing a pretty fair job of taking away the middle.

• Texans take over at the 20 after Sherrick McManis tackle on the return.

• With 10:47 left, Allen Robinson has nine catches for 123 yards. He's 14 short of 100 receptions.

• Bears drive to the red zone but it bogs down and they settle for a Santos field goal of 32 yards. Scoring drive of 28 yards, 8 plays, 4:13. Bears 36, Texans 7. 

• Trubisky 22 of 28 for 244 yards and three TDs through three.

Third Quarter

• Watson returns to the field. Gets sacked on fourth down by Mario Edwards. Bears ball at the Texans 42 as quarter ends. Bears 33, Texans 7

• Incomplete, near disaster by Trubisky with poor decision and throw but it falls incomplete and Bears punt.

• Patterson gets wide open on sideline but Trubisky doesn't lead him far enough with the throw. Incomplete.

• Patterson ad libs and goes outside to the sideline for a 12-yard run. Nice play. Did that all without much blocking. 

• Another false start, this one by Javon Wims of all people. 

• Fourth-down play  and Smith sacks McCarron on a blitz. A penalty on Texans anyway. A goal-line stand by the Bears defense.

• AJ McCarron playing for Watson

• Watson comes off but he has to leave the field for fourth down.

• For some reason the Texans line up in the shotgun and Smith nails Smith as he throws, it goes high and through the uprights. Fourth-and-goal. Watson hurt on the play.

• Replay shows Watson's elbow hit the ground inside the 1. Third-and-goal.

• Watson scrambles for a 3-yard TD but replay looks like he's down on the 1. 

• Passes against the zone puts ball at the 3 and Akinis drops a touchdown pass as Akiem Hicks hits Watson.  

• Texans get the first down on a third-down run of 3 yards to the 15.

• Duke Shelley with a tackle on first down. Bears' lack of slot corner Buster Skrine hasn't been a factor.  A 15-yard pass sets up third-and-2 at the 18.

• Watson scrambles for a gani to the 12 but Tytus Howard is called for holding Bilal Nichols. Replay shows he did pretty much mug him.

• Duke Johnson stuffed after a 1-yard gain and it's fourth-and-1 with 6:15 left in third quarter. No one covers TE Darren Fells and Watson hits him for a fourht-down gain of 15 to the Bears 26.

• Texans work the middle of the field for a few first downs. Trevis Gipson gets a QB hit and forces a short pass by Watson to the Bears 45. Texans face third-and-3 at Bears 42.

• A four-score lead with 10:37 left in the third quarter, but somehow it doesn't seem enough after last week.

• Cairo Santos' 17th straight made field goal, a 39-yarder. Third quarter points!!! Bears 33, Texans 7.

• Screen pass to Montgomery fools the Texans, who must be the dumbest defense in history. Everyone knew what was coming and it worked for 18 to get the Bears in field goal range. 

• Incomplete to Kmet, who couldn't come up with diving catch over the middle.

• Trubisky  runs a zone read for 5 yards. Second-and-20 at 39.

• Bears had been at the Texans 29 but now the 39. First-and-20. Then Ifedi false starts on the other side. The Bears just love those third quarter penalties.

• Patterson gain negated by hold on Leno.

• And as simple as that, Allen Robinson slants across the middle and gets a huge gain after the catch of 35 yards. Bears yards after the catch has always been tough to come by but when tight ends catch passes it opens up the middle for receivers.

• Same boot pass they've been using all game gets only 2. Second-and-8. Time to find something different. Trubisky hits Kmet for a short gain but he breaks three tackles and gains the first down on an 11-yard completion. Folks, the Bears have a tight end.

Halftime

Bears have matched their highest point total of season and did it in the first half. Now they have to come out for the obligatory scoreless third quarter.

Trubisky 18 of 21, 178 yards, three TDs. A 141.6 passer rating. Robinson eight catches, 88 yards. Montgomery six runs, 106 yards.

Second Quarter

• Toss over the middle to Allen Robinson TD with eight seconds left, against double coverage on a quick flip. 11 plays, 77 yards, 1:37. Bears 30, Texans 7

• Watt whining to the ref about something during the timeout, presumably holding as that's what most defensive linemen do.

• Watt hits Trubisky throwing out to Kmet and pass goes too far incomplete on first down. On second down they line up with 11 seconds left but Texans call timeout.  Ball is at the 3.

• Bears still with one timeout left and lobs it to Robinson along sideline, he catches it and manages to get out of bounds at the 3 for 16 yards. Loses ball as he smashes it to the ground OB but had it for 3 steps.

• Montgomery smashes up the middle to the 24 and Bears go no huddle. Trubisky scrambles OB at the 19. 19 ticks left.

• Kmet now with eight receptions in the last two games.

• Blitz and Trubisky is sacked. At the Bears 49. Trubisky hits Kmet for a gaini to the 35 of Houston. Bears used second timeout. It's  third-and-2.

• After the 8-yard gain to Robinson he throws down right sideline deep to Robinson at the Texans 43. They have to call timeout because Robinson, even though he was inches from the sideline, didn't get out of bounds. A 22-yard gain.

• Trubisky a slant to Robinson for a first down at the 35.

• Trubisky scrambles up right sideline for 9. Third-and-6. Ran out of bounds foolishly

• Trubisky throws too high and wide of Robinson, who isn't open along sideline for a short one. That was a perfect opportunity to run it on first down and they didn't. And now they false start, Alex Bars.

• 1:45 left.

• Miller fair catch at 23. Bears have all their timeouts left.

• Watson dumps it off short for 10 to Prosise and Texans punt with 1:52 left

• Third-and-14 from the 21 for Texans.

• Jordan Akins catches it against Trevathan over the middle for 8. Third-and-4 at 31. Watson scrambles out of a sack and then throws for a 3-yard gain but the Texans' Leremy Tunsil was holding at the two-minute warning.

• Texans false start and it's second-and-12.

• Johnson jogs off the field. They don't have many backs left so he better be.

• Duke Johnson hurt after a 3-yard run.

• Texans at the 25. This is a big drive because Bears are getting the ball to start the second half.

• Mooney catches a swing pass and takes it 12 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown with 3:22 left in the half. Replay review says it's a TD but it looks obvious he stepped out just inside the 2.  Bears drive 5 plays, 66 yards, 2:42. Bears 23, Texans 7

• For once Trubisky doesn't eyeball his downfield target and sees Montgomery open in the flat. He fakes and gains 11 on the pass to the 12.

• RPO slant to Robinson for the first down at the 23.

• Trubisky boot pass to Miller for 6. Once again JJ in close pursuit of Trubisky

• Montgomery breaks a nice cutback run up the middle and Texans Justin Reid is called for unnecessary roughness. Run of 13 yards and 15 yards on penalty to the Texans 33.

• Anthony Miller doing the punt and free kick return duties and he takes this one back to the Bears 34. 

• Two jailbreaks on successive plays by the Texans. The sack ends a four-game stretch without one by Mack, who has 7 1/2 on the year.

• If Mack didn't get it, then Roquan Smith was right there to make it too.

• Safety as Mack nails Watson in the end zone. Bears 16, Texans 7

• Bilal Nichols buries Watson on a sack. Ten-yard loss on first down.

• Texans at the 19.

• It was drilled into Trubisky's head by Matt Nagy and Dave Ragone to look downfield and buy time with his feet. So he does that and isn't good at it, but when he does it, he no longer has opportunities to run because they close up quickly. So they've coached the best thing Trubisky does right out of his repertoire.

• Trubisky to Graham for 4 yards and it's third-and-2. Trubisky scrambles hesitates, and then throws incomplete. Indecision. They punt.

• Trubisky has all kinds of room to run, hesitates and finally starts to run and gets  only 4. Typical of his play these days. They took the runner right out of him with Nagy's training

• Touchback, Bears start at 25.

• The Bears offense is going to need to continue scoring because as long as Watson can't be kept in the pocket then he's going to keep their offense moving.

• Watson throws off scramble to Coutee for a 5-yard TD after faking to get Barkevious Mingo up in the air. 8 plays, 86 yards, 4:20 Bears 14, Texans 7

• Flushed out, Watson scrambles for 14 to the Bears 5.

• Third-and-3 and Watson throws a screen to Johnson lined up outside and he breaks it for 48 to the Bears 19

• Watson scrambles for 7.

• Mack bats Watson pass up into the air and prepares to intercept it but Watson breaks it up like a DB.

• Watson scrambles and slides for a first down at the 26.

• Third-and-2 after a 3-yard pass to Hanson.

• Duke Johnson smashes off right tackle for 5.

• Another poor kick return by Prosise and Titans start at the 14.

• The shift was from under center back to shotgun and involved other men moving. Completely stupid when you need 10 inches.

• Why the Bears are doing a complicated shift 10 inches from the end zone makes no sense but Jimmy Graham makes up for it with a 5-yard TD catch in the corner beating one-on-one coverage. TD comes with 12:57 left in half. A 12-play, 79-yard drive, 6:46. Bears 14, Texans 0

• Second-and-goal from the 1 and Texans jump offsides when Bears shift. Bears are called for a false start on Jimmy Graham.

• Texans' Charlie Omenihu injures right arm or shoulder making tackle of Patterson.

• Patterson left end toss gets to the half-yard line.

• Montgomery up the middle with the wild cat snap to the 2. 

• Texans' Brandon Dunn jumps offsides. Bears at the 8.

• Trubisky finished first quarter 7 of 7 for 66 yards.

First Quarter

• Patterson cuts back but waits too long to do it and gains 3. Second-and-2 at the 5.

• The Bears driving through the air with quicker passes, at the 23 of Houston and Trubisky hits Darnell Mooney on a boot pass with JJ Watt pressuring for a 10-yard gain to the 13. Quarter ends. Bears 7, Texans 0

• The TD run matched the longest by a Bears back since Rick Casares had a 55-yard run 

• Typical of the Bears. After Khalil Mack strips the ball and recovers it, they go nowhere and they try to run a wide play and two passes including a sack. Instead of going  up the middle where they had 80 yards for a touchdown, they try stuff that they haven't tried. You need to call plays according to what you know works, not according to a pre-ordained play sheet. You run it til they stop it.

• One good broken tackle and a nice downfield interference run by Allen Robinson. 

• An 80-yard career-long TD run for David Montgomery on the first play, off left guard and tackle. Texans run  defense is horrible and Bears knew it. 12-second scoring drive. Bears 7, Texans 0

• Have to give Pagano some credit for finally going after the quarterback instead of sitting on his hands. It takes some guts to go after Watson because if he sidesteps the rush then your defense can give up a 60-yard scramble.

• Bears start at 20 after punt and bobbled fair catch by Anthony Miller.

• Pagano goes to the all-out blitz and Watson rushes the throw under heavy heat.

• All the time to throw and it's a 13-yard completion to Chad Hansen. A false start and another Hansen catch, followed by a 2-yard run and it's third-and-7 at Bears 46.

• Run up the middle by Duke Johnson nets 4 and it's third-and-6.

• Akiem Hicks beats the blocking and stuffs run for no gain.

• Bears trap Watson and he escapes down right sideline for 9 and a first down.

• Deshaun Watson goes no huddle and hits Keke Coutee for 8

• CJ Prosise only returns to the 16 for Texans

Losing Cooks is a big blow for a team that likes to strike downfield. What little running game the Texans have had has come from Johnson, unless it's from scrambles or zone read from Deshaun Watson. Duke Johnson is capable though, but is more of a third-down back.

Inactives 

Texans

• TE Pharaoh Brown 
• WR Brandin Cooks 
• QB Josh McCown
• CB Phillip Gaines
• CB John Reid
• T Charlie Heck
• G Hjalte Froholdt

*RB David Johnson has been placed on Reserve/COVID-19 

Bears

• OLB James Vaughters 
• DB Buster Skrine 
• OL Lachavious Simmons
• NT Daniel McCullers

Kickoff: Noon, Soldier Field, Chicago

TV: CBS (Kevini Harlan, Trent Green, Melanie Collins)

Radio: WBBM-AM 780, 105.9 FM (Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer, Mark Grote)

ESPN Radio (Marc Ketescher, Barrett Jones) (SXM Ch. 80)

Spanish: Univision Deportes 1200 AM, 93.5 FM (Hector Lopez, Miguel Esparza)

The Series: Fifth matchup. The Bears have never won against Houston. The Texans' last win was in 2016, 23-14 at Reliant Stadium. They won the last game at Soldier Field in 2012, 13-6.

The Line: Texans by 1 1/2 (46 over/under)

BearDigest Pick: Bears 30, Texans 26