The Houston Texans made some nice defensive adjustments and some great plays from wideouts DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller to get a 23-14 win over the Chicago Bears to open the 2016 season.
Will Fuller’s 18-yard catch and run in the fourth quarter and a better defensive output in the second half was the difference in the Texans’ win. He led the team with five catches for 107 yards.
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Quarterback Brock Osweiler was also strong, going 22-for-35 for 231 yards and two touchdowns.
The Texans started slow as Chicago used an Osweiler interception to drive 75 yards for a touchdown, a 1-yard run by Jeremy Langford. The Texans then answered with 10 straight points, a Nick Novak field goal and a 23-yard touchdown catch from Oswiler to DeAndre Hopkins.
But Chicago then got a touchdown before the half, a 19-yard catch by Eddie Royal from Jay Cutler, to put the Bears up 14-10 at halftime.
In the second half, the Texans defense got a turnover as Andre Hal got an interception that set up a Novak field goal that cut the Chicago lead to a point.
The defense stayed strong in the second half, holding the Bears scoreless in the half and sacking Cutler five times in the game.
Fuller showed off the speed that the Houston offense needed, even though he had a big dropped catch that would have led to an early touchdown. But the rookie from Notre Dame stepped up with a catch over the middle and used his speed to run for the touchdown to put the Texans ahead for good. Novak added a 38-yard field goal with 6:10 left for insurance.
First career touchdown for the rookie! pic.twitter.com/vohB699lDL
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) September 11, 2016
Lamar Miller had a strong day as well for the Texans, rushing for 106 yards on 38 carries. Hopkins had five catches for 54 yards.
Defensively, linebacker Jon Simon led the team with eight tackles and a sack, while J.J. Watt was mostly quiet for most of the game with one tackle, although he did pressure Cutler three times. Whitney Mercilus also had two sacks and forced a fumble.
The lone bad news of the game is on the injury front as linebacker Brian Cushing injured his knee early in the game and did not return. The early reports say he tore his MCL and will be out for six weeks.
O'Brien on Cushing: "Brian is a heart and soul kind of player. We don't know how long he'll be out."
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) September 11, 2016
Next: Will Fuller's First TD Was Simply Awesome
The Texans now look for revenge next week when they host the Kansas City Chiefs, who shut out Houston 30-0 in last year’s Wild Card playoff game.