Bears vs. Texans: 3 keys for Chicago's offense in Week 2

It’s hard to believe, but the Chicago Bears (1-0) came out of their Week 1 matchup with the Tennessee Titans (0-1) with a comeback win, propelling Chicago to an unlikely 1-0 start. The win wasn’t so incredulous because Tennessee was so good, to be clear, it was because Chicago played a terrible game.

They were saved from a heroic performance from special teams and the defense, who somehow contributed two touchdowns to pull ahead of the Titans. No thanks can be attributed to the offense, however, as rookie quarterback Caleb Williams could not get his unit in gear in his first NFL game.

A win is a win, however, and they’ll do their best to punch above their weight and take down the potent Houston Texans (1-0) on Sunday Night Football in Week 2. It’s sure to be an uphill battle, however, as the Texans already look every bit like the dangerous playoff team they were in 2023, with their offense and defense already looking to be in midseason form.

A victory may be hard to come by but it’s not impossible. If the Bears offense is able to work through a few of their biggest issues last week and really come out the gates swinging, Chicago just might pull off the impossible. Let’s break down the three keys for the Bears offense against the Texans in Week 2.

1. Get Caleb Williams comfortable early

Anyone who had the displeasure of watching the Bears offense knows this is the most pressing issue the team has to rectify by Sunday night – give Williams easy completions early and get him in a groove. We saw what happens when the Bears’ No. 1 draft pick gets skittish and his supporting cast isn’t helping him, and the club cannot be content with less than 100 passing yards and no offensive scores. Chicago’s defense stepped up to the plate and delivered one of the most impressive performances you’ll see from any team this season, but that level of dominance can’t be expected week to week, and the coaching staff can’t expect the unit to fulfill the scoring duties. Williams and the offense has to take one step forward in their efficiency to have any chance of defeating the Texans in prime time.

I’ll reemphasize what I feel the offense should do to get Williams’ momentum in the early stages of the contest, since Chicago failed to accomplish that in Week 1. The key here is to give the rookie simple passing concepts that result in easy completions, even if they don’t end in a big play. Slants, screens, QB rollouts – whatever he’s comfortable running, it’d be in the coaches’ best interest to run it. He’s wildly talented and has the ability to single-handedly change the outcome of the game, but he’ll be barred from doing that if he’s had no traction to work with all night.

2. Execute on every play

Carrying out playcalls serves as an extension to the previous point of getting Williams comfortable, because failure to do so will only negatively impact the offense’s quarterback. The rookie had several opportunities to make a highlight play against the Titans, but the errors of his contemporaries turned those plays into duds. Star receiver Keenan Allen’s dropped pass in the endzone is one example, center Coleman Shelton getting flattened on a linebacker blitz that caused a Williams’ pass that was intended for a wide open Allen in the endzone to ricochet straight up into the air and fall to the turf is another – no one was playing their best football last Sunday.

Chicago needs to go back to the fundamentals and just do what’s necessary to make the play work. To beat the high-octane Texans, there can't be any overthrows, dropped passes, missed blocks, none of that. Houston came out of the locker room in Week 1 looking every bit like the powerhouse playoff team they were in 2023. The Bears should use their success as a benchmark and push themselves to reach that same level of productiveness to start the year. A showdown on the bright Sunday night lights will test the club’s ability to fix their wrongs from opening weekend.

3. Get better communication and play from the offensive line

It was widely speculated that, despite Chicago’s attention-grabbing new additions of Williams, receiver Rome Odunze and others, the offensive line is by and large the team’s largest area of concern, and that concern was justified after everyone saw how they fared in Week 1. The group collectively had a horrendous game, with each starting offensive lineman thoroughly failing in their assignments and having terrible communication in the blocking scheme. There were several instances where the center and right guard, the main two offenders, were not on the same page, allowing defenders into the backfield unblocked and giving plays no chance of success.

The line will continue to haunt the team this year, but the Bears can still ensure basic mistakes are kept to a minimum. The line has to have better communication pre-snap and be able to respond to the defensive line’s schemes and keep them out of the backfield. Ideally, the group should play better as a whole overall, but I don’t see that happening against a battle-tested Texans front. It’ll be tough sledding for the line Sunday night, but the Bears’ chances of going 2-0 at the end of Week 2 hinges on their ability to be serviceable.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Texans: 3 keys for Chicago's offense in Week 2