The Houston Texans will travel to take on the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in a Sunday afternoon NFL matchup in Chicago. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NFL odds series, which includes a Texans-Bears prediction and pick, laid out below.
Houston rid themselves of the Deshaun Watson drama this offseason, but that also has greatly diminished the remaining talent on the team. Head coach Lovie Smith is the perfect choice to rebuild this team, and a week three return to Chicago is a nice storyline. Houston is 0-1-1 this season.
Chicago has struggled in recent years but is 1-1 this season after getting blown out by Green Bay on Sunday night last week. Matt Eberflus is in his first season as the head coach of the team, after spending the last four seasons as defensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts.
Here are the Texans-Bears NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NFL Odds: Texans-Bears Odds
Houston Texans: +3 (-115)
Chicago Bears: -3 (-105)
Over: 39.5 (-106)
Under: 39.5 (-114)
Why The Texans Could Cover The Spread
Davis Mills will make his third start for Houston in 2022, throwing for 417 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions in the first two games. Mills has completed 56 percent of the passes he has thrown this season. Houston has allowed six sacks this season. Dameon Pierce, the team’s fourth-round pick in 2022, leads the team with 102 rushing yards. As a team, Houston has rushed for 157 yards, but no touchdowns. Brandin Cooks leads the team with 11 catches and 136 receiving yards. New tight end OJ Howard has caught three passes, two of which have gone for touchdowns. Houston is averaging 14.5 points per game, the 26th rank in the league.
Houston’s defense has been surprisingly solid, surrendering just 36 points this season. Jonathan Owens leads the team with 25 tackles and Kamu Grugier-Hill is second with 23. Third overall pick Derek Stingley, Jr. ranks third with 15 tackles and has broken up three passes. Christian Kirksey and Jerry Hughes each have picked off a pass for the team. Hughes also leads the team with two sacks, while Houston has totaled five sacks as a club.
Why The Bears Could Cover The Spread
Justin Fields is an exciting, dynamic quarterback, which makes the fact that he has thrown just 28 passes in two games so confusing. Fields has completed 53.6 percent of his passes for 191 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Fields is third on the team with 48 rushing yards and is tied for the lead with one rushing touchdown. Fields being more involved in the offense would be something to look for in this one. David Montgomery leads the team with 148 rushing yards albeit without a touchdown. Khalil Herbert is second on the team with 83 rushing yards and is tied with Fields with one rushing touchdown. Chicago has rushed for 279 yards this season. Equanimeous St. Brown leads the team with 57 receiving yards and a touchdown. Dante Pettis turned his lone catch into a 51-yard touchdown.
Even with the drubbing last Sunday, Chicago’s defense has only surrendered 37 points this season. Roquan Smith leads the team with 20 tackles, including half of a sack. Trevis Gipson leads the team with two sacks, while the team has totaled five. Eddie Jackson has intercepted one pass.
Final Texans-Bears Prediction & Pick
Do not expect a ton of offense in this one, but give the nod to Mills and his ability to not turn the ball over.
Final Texans-Bears Prediction & Pick: Houston +3 (-115), under 39.5 (-114)
More must-reads: