Instant analysis of Bears' 21-17 win vs. Texans in Hall of Fame game

The Chicago Bears squared off against the Houston Texans in the NFL’s Hall of Fame game, and the contest provided fans with much more entertainment that anyone would have expected given starters, including rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, didn't see the field.

Both offenses were able to keep the ball moving for the two-and-a-half quarters they played before the game was called due to inclement weather. Still, several Bears players made a big impact in the time they saw the field.

Chicago managed to pull ahead of Houston, 21-17, before the game was suspended. So let’s catch you up to speed with everything that happened in the Bears' preseason-opening win.

Offense

The offense ran into initial hardships in the early goings of the game, walking off the field scoreless on their first possession with Tyson Bagent at quarterback. But they put on quite the show once they got things going. The unit scored three quick touchdowns with third-string quarterback Brett Rypien running things, putting together the hat trick of touchdown passes by finding receiver Collin Johnson twice and tight end Tommy Sweeney once.

The run game kept the defense honest as well, with both Roschon Johnson and Khalil Herbert getting chunk yardage on the ground. Johnson had six carries for 24 yards and Herbert had four carries for 35 yards.

The offense looked dangerous even without the starters, which can only be seen as a ringing endorsement of new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s offensive scheme.

Defense

The defense as a whole was flattened by Houston’s offense. Individual defensive players had good outings. In this case, both statements are true.

Chicago opted to play conservative in coverage, resulting in veteran signal-callers Davis Mills and Case Keenum tearing apart the defense’s seams. The Bears' overall discipline left a lot to be desired, with there being several instances of defenders whiffing on tackles and getting beat in coverage. An uneven and slippery Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium field certainly didn’t help matters, but that won’t be an excuse when the games matter.

Several defenders did put together a nice stat sheet after the contest was suspended. Safety Elijah Hicks (4 tackles), defensive end Austin Booker (1 tackle) and defensive tackle Byron Cowart (3 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack) all impressed in their limited snaps.

Recap

The Bears looked more poised than many would have expected in their first NFL preseason action of the year. The second string players and beyond seemed prepared to give their all, leading to many of them being major contributors to a Chicago win. It’s evident that the team has benefitted from much better coaching this year.

Looking Ahead

The Bears will hit the road to take on the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, Aug. 10 at 12 p.m. CT, where rookie Caleb Williams and the starters are expected to see their first action of the preseason.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Instant analysis of Bears' 21-17 win vs. Texans in Hall of Fame game