3 Keys to a Bears Victory Over the Texans in Week 2

2. Establish the Run

Last week, the Bears had virtually no success against the Titans on the ground. On 14 carries, D'Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert, and Travis Homer combined for 44 yards. Swift took the majority of the carries as the leading running back with 10 and gained 30 yards. Herbert and Homer both had two carries, with Homer rushing for ten yards and Herbert rushing for four.

Not being able to establish a running game against the Titans meant all the pressure was on Williams' shoulders. While the Bears hope that Willaims can one day turn into that, putting all the pressure on him in his first NFL game turned out very badly.

Therefore, the Bears need to make a concerted effort to run the ball early and often against the Texans. That won't be as easy as it sounds, though. Although the Texans don't have as scary of an interior defensive line as the Titans, they put up a good performance, stopping the run in Week 1.

Jonathan Taylor only gained 48 yards on 16 carries and had one touchdown. This is a massive improvement for the Texans defense. Last season, they allowed Taylor to run for 188 yards and one touchdown on 30 carries in their Week 18 victory over them. Being able to keep a prolific running back like Taylor under 100 rushing yards bodes well for the Bears.

However, the Bears need to be persistent about setting the tone on the ground against the Texans. If they are able to do that effectively, then they can keep Stroud and the Texans offense off the field.