This week, the Houston Texans have a huge opportunity when the Chicago Bears come to town. For the first time in eight seasons, the Texans can start a season by going 2-0. That hasn't happened since 2016, nearly a decade ago. So it's high time the Texans do just that.
The last time the club went 2-0, they ironically had to face the Chicago Bears in Week 1. It was a game they won 23-14, a score that could very easily be replicated this weekend. That specific encounter saw Texans' quarterback Brock Osweiler out-throw Bears' quarterback Jay Cutler. Oswieler had 231 passing yards, Culter had 216. It was a mostly uneventful game, save for Whitney Mercilus recording 2.5 sacks on the day.
The next game was a win over the Kansas City Chiefs, who were guided by Alex Smith. it was a similar outing for the Texans, with Osweiler out-throwing Smith, and the defense leading the way. The big difference however was that John Simon and J.J. Watt had 1.5 sacks on the day apiece, as opposed to Mercilus.
They would lose their very next game in Week 3 to the Tom Brady-led New England Patriots. The Bears would finish 3-13, while the Chiefs would go 11-5. The Patriots of course won the Super Bowl that year against the Atlanta Falcons in the famous 28-3 comeback.
The Texans, meanwhile, had one of their better seasons. They went 9-7, earning just their sixth winning season of the club's short lifespan.
This year, the Texans have a much better hand, going toe to toe with two of the worst teams in the NFL. At least, two of the teams in the NFL are expected to be among the worse. So the odds are in the Texans' favor. Where things get interesting is if the Texans can stretch this to three weeks.
After the Bears game, the Texans have the Minnesota Vikings. A good team, featuring a few old friends, and a squad that could prove to be quite shocking. If Sam Darnold continues to play well for the Vikings, then the Texans can't sleep on Minnesota, regardless of how good they do against the Bears on Sunday Night.
This means that the Texans not only have a shot to go 2-0 for the first time in eight years, but they could very likely go 3-0 for the first time since 2012. Making the Bears game far more important than many realize.