The great and the bad in the Chicago Bears victory over the Texans

Roquan Smith was great making plays on defense.

Smith did not play well at Green Bay in a Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers. He emphatically bounced back against the Texans.

Smith registered 16 tackles with two tackles going for a loss. He made the biggest play of the game when he picked off quarterback Davis Mills late in the fourth quarter.

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The interception set up Santos for the game-winning field goal. Smith was in the perfect position to pick off the pass after Angelo Blackson tipped the ball at the line of scrimmage.

Not a bad day for a guy who did not practice last week because of a hip injury.

Smith was getting pushed around by the Packers in Green Bay. At Soldier Field, Smith was all over the field making plays.

He made a touchdown-saving tackle late in the third quarter. Smith burst through the offensive line on third down and caught Texans running back David Pierce from behind. The play forced the Texans to settle for a field goal.

If the Texans had scored a touchdown there, we would be talking about a Bears’ defeat.

Smith’s offseason was mired by his training camp “hold-in” as he was hoping to get a contract extension. When the Chicago Bears front office did not make him the highest-paid linebacker, Smith decided to bet on himself by playing out the final year of his contract this season.

Against Green Bay, he did not look like a player that deserved a big contract. He showed why he is among the best in the NFL with a great rebound performance against the Texans.

Kindle Vildor had a good game at cornerback.

Cornerback Jaylon Johnson did not play because of a quad injury sustained in practice. Johnson’s play this year has been exemplary.

Johnson has been great in coverage but with rookie Kyler Gordon and Vildor playing opposite of him, teams have chosen to pick on those two.

He answered the challenge against the Texans. Vildor had a key pass breakup that prevented the Texans from scoring. The ball popped up in the air and allowed Eddie Jackson to come with an interception.

Vildor had five tackles and had one of his games in coverage.

It was a sorely needed performance with the secondary missing its best corner. If Vildor did not break up Mills’ pass in the redzone with 45 seconds left in the first quarter, the Bears’ chances of winning would be greatly reduced.