Chicago Bears: Beatdown of Texans finally ends losing streak

The Chicago Bears beat down the Houston Texans 36-7 to end their losing streak at six.

It’s finally over! There are celebrations in the streets as the Chicago Bears end their six-game losing streak. Well, maybe the streets weren’t filled with jubilation. They did, however, play a complete game and blew out the Houston Texans, 36-7, in the Week 14 contest.

The Bears took off right on the first play from scrimmage. Running back David Montgomery took Mitch Trubisky‘s handoff and the new-look offensive line opened up a gaping hole on the left side. He threw a stiff arm and was off to the races, recording an 80-yard rushing touchdown.

The defense wanted in on the action. After embarrassing performances in the past two weeks, the unit wanted to make up for it. On the Texans’ next drive, The Bears rushed Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and forced him to fumble the ball. Khalil Mack recovered the ball on the Texans’ 41.

The offense wasn’t able to take advantage of the gift, however, and had to punt the ball away. The Texans had to punt the ball themselves and the Bears started their next drive on their own 21. They proceeded to march 79 yards on 12 plays. Trubisky went 8-8 for 71 yards and ended the drive with a five-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham. It was Graham’s sixth touchdown catch of the season.

The Texans responded, though. They marched 86 yards on eight plays to cut the Bears’ lead in half.

Then the defense stepped up again. After the Bears had a three-and-out, the Texans had a chance to try to tie the game. Instead, the defense flexed its muscle. After a Bilal Nichols sack drove the Texans back to their own nine, Mack came through again. He sacked Watson in the end zone for a safety.

On the ensuing drive, the Bears went 51 yards on just five plays. Trubisky connected with Darnell Mooney for a 12-yard touchdown. The Bears were now up 23-7 and the rout was on. After another Texans punt, the Bears were on the march again. They went 82 yards on 11 plays and Allen Robinson caught a pass for a three-yard touchdown. The Bears went into the half with a 30-7 lead.

The Chicago Bears third-quarter woes crept in but defense stepped up

The Bears had a big lead but they’ve had some horrible third quarters. They’d scored just once in the previous 12 games in that period a touchdown in Week 6 against the Carolina Panthers. They didn’t score a touchdown against the Texans, but they did get a Cairo Santos field goal on their first drive of the quarter.

The defense took over in the second half. The Texans had a first-and-goal at the Bears’ three, but the defense held. On fourth-and-goal at the one, the Bears defense came up with another sack for a 12-yard loss. When the Texans got the ball again, they had another turnover on downs.

The defense was on a mission to make up for the last two weeks and they certainly did that. The Bears registered seven sacks and held the Texans to 263 total yards of offense. They had Watson running around for his life on nearly every play.

The Chicago Bears offense actually did its part

It was a nice sight to see the defense come back. What was even better was seeing the offense come to life again. The Bears had back-to-back 30-point games. Despite not scoring touchdowns in the second half, the offense still had a great game.

The Bears had 410 total yards of offense. Trubisky went 24-of-33 for 267 yards and three touchdown passes. He used his legs effectively to extend plays and didn’t commit any turnovers (after committing four in the past two games). He still had his moments, however. He threw a pass into double coverage and then threw one into triple coverage. It didn’t hurt, though.

Montgomery had 113 yards on 11 carries and the touchdown. He had a great game but it would’ve been nice to see him carry the ball more than just 10 times after his 80-yard run.

Allen Robinson also had himself a big game. He caught nine passes for 123 yards and a touchdown. Robinson eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the season. It was his second consecutive season he’s done so, becoming only the fifth Chicago Bears receiver to accomplish that. He joined Marty Booker, Curtis Conway, Alshon Jeffery, and Brandon Marshall.

Graham and rookie tight end combined for eight catches for 64 yards and a touchdown. Seeing the tight ends more involved in the offense is great.

With the Minnesota Vikings losing, the Bears’ faint playoff hopes stay alive. They likely need to win out and get some help. They face the Vikings next week and the loser’s playoff hopes get dashed.

It’s great to see the Bears with an actual offense. Even if the team doesn’t make the playoffs, the team will get a look at which players are still playing hard and could be part of the future.