Bears vs. Texans: Going behind enemy lines to preview Week 2 matchup

The Chicago Bears (1-0) will face the Houston Texans (1-0) on Sunday Night Football, where Chicago is looking to pull an upset on the road in prime time.

The Bears are coming off a 24-17 comeback win over the Tennessee Titans, where the defense and special teams each scored touchdowns with the offense struggling. Now, Chicago faces their second straight AFC South opponent, in the reigning division champion Texans, where they'll need all three phases working together to pull off an upset.

Before the game, we caught up with managing editor Cole Thompson of Texans Wire to get the scoop on the Bears’ Week 2 opponent.

Here are six questions with Texans Wire:

1. C.J. Stroud has an arsenal of weapons at his disposal this season. How would you evaluate the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year in Week 1?

He’s better than last year. I know that everyone says a quarterback improves from Year 1 to Year 2, but if you watch thoroughly through his plays, it’s a night-and-day difference from his rookie season in terms of comfort level.

A play is never dead for him. Take last week during the first quarter: Stroud slips on the Colts’ new turf, but never takes his eyes off the target and delivers a strike to Brevin Jordan for a first down. Second-year players like Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes make those types of accurate passes look easy. He also has a great rapport with Nico Collins and Tank Dell and spent months working with Stefon Diggs away from the facility. All four are seeing eye to eye despite barely seeing live reps in the preseason.

There’s a reason people pegged Stroud to be an MVP candidate. He’s looking the part through four quarters.

2. Joe Mixon had a monster game in Week 1 with 159 rushing yards. What’s the key to containing him?

To be honest, I don’t know. Mixon is the ideal fit for the Texans’ offense because he comes from a similar run-based style in Cincinnati. The reason it’s hard to figure him out is that he missed so much time in training camp with a quad injury that Sunday was kind of an eye-opening experience for folks in Houston.

Mixon is a player who runs with power and isn’t afraid to lower the shoulder for an extra yard. Watch the film back back, most of his runs were toward the outside since he struggled to find creases between the guards. If I were the Bears, I’d make sure to take away the outside leverage and force him back up the middle to take on T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds.

3. Chicago’s interior offensive line was dominated by Tennessee in Week 1. What is the strength of this Houston defensive line?

The edge is the selling point on paper, but you have to respect the interior headlined by Mario Edwards. Not only was he the highest-graded run defender last week, but he also recorded Houston’s first sack of the season.

Chicago should have a good indication of what Danielle Hunter can do, but Will Anderson Jr. only eases his plate. The reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year wins with finesse, but he added 16 pounds of muscle this offseason so he wouldn’t be bullied coming off the line of scrimmage. One game in and it feels like the defensive line might be Houston’s strength on defense.

4. What’s an area of this Texans defense that the Bears offense should try to exploit?

Take the deep shots if possible. Anthony Richardson finished with 212 passing yards, but nearly 160 came on the vertical pass downfield. Ashton Dulin caught a 56-yard touchdown. Alec Pierce caught a 60-yard score and another 50-yard gain in the fourth quarter.

Rookie Kamari Lassiter is still adjusting to NFL life. He’ll be a mainstay in the secondary, but it might come at the midway point of the year, similar to how Tyrique Stevenson needed to adjust from college to the pros. Jimmie Ward and Jalen Pitre are great leaders and tacklers, but both have struggled with defending the deep ball.

For Williams, hitting those massive shots and taking risks might actually lean more so around 60/40 in his favor rather than 80/20.

5. Who is one under-the-radar player on offense and defense to look out for?

Offensively, look for Kenyon Green at left guard. He played his best game without question on Sunday and showed why he was a two-time All-American at Texas A&M as one of the SEC's overall top interior blockers. According to Pro Football Focus, Green posted a team-high 79.9 pass-blocking grade and didn’t allow a single pressure up the middle. He’s looking more agile and nimble coming off the snap, so slowing or catching him leaning will help.

Defensively, it’s Calen Bullock. He had an interception last week in the red zone against Anthony Richardson and said Wednesday that he remembers going up against Williams in practice out on the West Coast where he’d win battles playing in man coverage. His closing speed is exceptional, so anytime a ball hangs for too long it might float right into the rookie’s hands.

6. Who wins and why?

This feels like a game that Houston must take advantage of early if it wants to secure a win. Much like in Chicago’s win over Tennessee, a special teams error led to a scoring drive for Indianapolis and made things interesting over the final 15 minutes.

I feel like Houston won’t be able to play keep away in the same outlook it did at Lucas Oil Stadium facing Chicago’s secondary. The Texans will need Tank Dell and Dalton Schultz to be essential third-down factors in the middle of the field. Ultimately, give me Bullock to intercept his former USC teammate in the fourth quarter, setting up a scoring drive from Stroud to ice it and secure a dub late Sunday night. Houston 31, Chicago 21

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Texans: Going behind enemy lines to preview Week 2 matchup