Chicago Bears vs. Houston Texans: Live updates from NRG Stadium in Houston

HOUSTON – It’s time for the nation to see Caleb Williams in a Bears uniform. All eyes will be on the rookie No. 1 overall draft pick when the Chicago Bears take on the Houston Texans on “Sunday Night Football” from NRG Stadium in Houston.

Williams is trying to put a 93-passing-yard performance from last week’s NFL debut behind him. The Bears have a challenge ahead of them against CJ Stroud and a Texans team that reached the divisional round of the playoffs last season.

Head coach Matt Eberflus’ defense spurred the Bears to a victory over the Tennessee Titans in Week 1. Stroud and the Texans’ talented receiver group could be a tougher test this week.

Shaw Local Bears beat writer Sean Hammond will be reporting live from Houston. Follow Hammond on X at @sean_hammond, on Instagram at @bears_reporter and on Threads at @bears_reporter. Enterprise reporter Michal Dwojak will be reporting from Chicago. Follow Dwojak @mdwojak94 on X and also on Threads. Shaw Local Bears analyst Marc Silverman will provide his thoughts on X at @WaddleandSilvy.

Stay here all game long for live updates.

Texans close out a win

The Bears added a late field goal from kicker Cairo Santos, who knocked through a 54-yard field goal. Caleb Williams and the offense had one last chance. Rome Odunze helped the Bears reach midfield, but a Danielle Hunter sack at an opportune time proved to be a difference maker.

The Texans won, 19-13.

Williams picked off

The Texans added a field goal early in the fourth quarter, which extended their lead to 19-10. On the following possession, Caleb Williams escaped pressure from the Texans and lofted a ball intended for tight end Cole Kmet. The ball was under thrown and it wound up in the hands of a Texans defender for an interception.

It was Williams’ second interception of the game.

After some pushing and shoving, Will Anderson sacks Williams

Midway through the third quarter, Caleb Williams took a pretty hard hit along the Bears sideline. His teammates took exception to it. There was pushing and shoving on both sides. The NBC broadcast caught Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair apparently punching Bears running back Roschon Johnson in the face mask. Right tackle Darnell Wright was also face to face with a Texans defender.

Despite the skirmish, the refs did not throw any flags.

Shortly afterward, Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. sacked Williams on a third down that pushed the Bears out of field goal range. They were forced to punt.

Texans add field goal before halftime

Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn made a 59-yard field goal in the final seconds of the first half. The Texans lead, 16-10, at halftime.

CJ Stroud connected with top target Nico Collins for a 16-yard gain moments earlier to pull the Texans into field goal range.

At the break, Caleb Williams has completed 12 of 15 passes for 91 yards with no touchdowns and no turnovers. Stroud is 14-for-19 passing for 173 yards with one touchdown.

Bears find the end zone

The Bears pinned the Texans deep with a good punt from rookie Tory Taylor. On third down, linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and TJ Edwards both blitzed up the middle and it was Edmunds who reached Texans quarterback CJ Stroud for a sack.

Houston punted for the first time all night and the Bears began their following possession on the plus side of the 50-yard line.

The Bears capitalized with a 49-yard touchdown drive before halftime. Despite a couple of penalties against the offensive line, the Bears kept the chains moving. Running back Khalil Herbert punched in a 2-yard touchdown run.

The Texans lead, 13-10, with 32 seconds remaining in the first half.

Texans add another field goal

The Bears had a quick three-and-out on their second possession of the evening. They were forced to punt the ball back to the Texans.

CJ Stroud connected with receiver Stefon Diggs for a big gain on third down. That pulled Houston into field goal range. Diggs caught another third-down pass moments later, but his diving effort was short of a first down.

Ka’imi Fairbairn made a 47-yard field goal. The Texans lead, 13-3, early in the second quarter.

Nico Collins scores touchdown for Texans

On their next possession, the Texans converted on a fourth-and-1 play near midfield. CJ Stroud found tight end Cade Stover for an 18-yard gain on fourth down. It kept the chains moving for the Texans.

A short while later, Stroud connected with receiver Nico Collins for a 28-yard touchdown. The score came moments after Collins received a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. Collins and Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson appeared to be having an argument.

The Texans took the lead, 10-3, just a few seconds into the second quarter.

Bears, Texans trade opening field goals.

The Bears won the coin toss and elected to defer until the second half. Each team made a field goal from beyond 50 yards on its respective opening drive.

CJ Stroud and the Texans drove 33 yards on the game’s opening possession and kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn made a 56-yard field goal. The Texans took an early lead, 3-0, before Caleb Williams and the Bears’ offense got to touch the football.

Williams and the offense converted on a pair of third downs. Williams tossed third-down passes to DeAndre Carter and DJ Moore to keep the chains moving. The possession then stalled out after a third-down sack.

Kicker Cairo Santos made a 53-yard field goal to tie the game, 3-3. The Bears drove 42 yards on the possession.

Update: Odunze will play, Allen is out

Bears rookie receiver Rome Odunze is active and will dress for Sunday night’s game. Veteran Keenan Allen, on the other hand, is inactive and will not play. Both receivers were considered game-time decisions.

Additionally, the following Bears players are inactive: receiver Velus Jones Jr., offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie, fullback Khari Blasingame, linebacker Noah Sewell and defensive end Dominque Robinson.

Latest injury news

Bears wide receivers Rome Odunze and Keenan Allen are both questionable to play in Sunday night’s game. Odunze suffered an MCL sprain in his knee during the season opener. Allen has been dealing with a heel injury for several weeks. Both players are expected to be game-time decisions.

Odunze said this week that he heard a “pop” in his knee in the Titans game. He had an MRI on Monday. All things considered, an MCL sprain is good news. The Bears are hopeful he’ll be back sooner than later.

Allen is a 32-year-old veteran who hasn’t played a full season since 2019. He missed several games last year due to injury. The heel injury popped up during training camp and was something he dealt with ahead of the opener. Allen did not practice at all this week.

Receiver DJ Moore is healthy and available. The Bears are also expecting to get contributions from second-year receive Tyler Scott.

Additionally, the Bears placed interior lineman Ryan Bates on injured reserve Saturday. Bates has shoulder and elbow injuries. Going on IR means he will miss at least four games. Bates split time with Nate Davis at right guard last week. Davis is expected to start at right guard Sunday.

What to expect from the Texans

The Texans are also 1-0 after defeating the Indianapolis Colts in their season opener. Stroud was the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2023 and the NFL’s rookie of the year last season. Bears fans are hopeful that Williams will hit the ground running as a rookie like Stroud did last season. Statistically, Stroud put together one of the best rookie seasons ever for a quarterback.

Williams believes he can clean up some things from his first game. That will be a challenge with two dangerous edge rushers on the other side. Houston’s Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson are two of the best pass rushers in the NFL. Anderson was NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2023. The Texans took him at No. 3 overall after selecting Stroud at No. 2.

Here are the top five storylines to watch ahead of this primetime matchup.

Silvy doesn’t believe Bears fans should panic after the Week 1 performance. Read his full column here.

Can Williams rebound?

All eyes will be on the quarterback. But it’s also a team effort. Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron knows that the offense has to perform better.

Waldron wants to make some adjustments after Week 1. Here are the top three adjustments he and his offense can make.

The numbers weren’t great for Williams in the season opener. It was only one game. Here’s a look at the stats that stood out in his debut.

What else did I miss this week?

Here’s what else was happening at Halas Hall this week:

[ 5 big takeaways from Chicago Bears’ season-opening win against the Tennessee Titans ]

[ Here’s what Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus said Monday after win over the Tennessee Titans ]

[ Chicago Bears WR Rome Odunze is ‘day-to-day’ with knee injury, per Matt Eberflus ]