Will Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon carry their momentum into Week 2?
By Ian Miller
Week 1 of the NFL season is officially in the books, and the Texans are off to an undefeated start. A big part of this is a pair of offensive trade acquisitions in Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon, who combined for each of Houston's three touchdowns on the day. Additionally, the duo had nearly half (192) of the team's total yards (417).
To say it was a successful debut for Houston's new running back and wide receiver couple would be putting it lightly. However, the squad moves on to its Week 2 matchup with the Chicago Bears.
A question to pose is: Will the pairing follow up and continue the momentum from their electrifying debut?
Chicago, also off to a 1-0 start to the season, won its game in a very different way than the Texans. The Bears had a mere 148 yards of total offense and didn't score a touchdown on that side of the ball.
This would suggest that Chicago has a stout defense. The statistics say just that, as the team allowed only 244 yards of offense to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
Granted, Houston's passing attack is better and more established than that of the Titans, but the optics for Diggs do not look as great as they did in Indianapolis. The Bears showed ball-hawking abilities in the secondary, snatching a pair of interceptions and several passes deflected. In addition, a Defensive Player of the Week nod for defensive back Tyrique Stevenson.
Meanwhile, Chicago touted a strong pass rush last week, totaling 10 hits and three sacks. This would lend itself to be a tough day at the office for the Texans' passing attack.
However, there is a bright spot for the other part of the Texans' new dynamic duo. Mixon, who ran for 159 yards on Sunday, faces a Bears defense that allowed 140 rushing yards last week. This could be an enticing matchup for the new running back in Houston.
Look for Mixon to carry out his momentum from his Texans debut last week into this one and maybe lead the offense against a strong-looking Bears pass defense.