Heavyweight Bout Looms For Bears Against Texans

By Rob Winn in News on Nov 9, 2012 4:40PM

For the first time since facing the Packers in week two, the Bears will square off with one of the top teams in the NFL when they face the Houston Texans Sunday night.

The Texans have been considered a favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. They not only have a premier defense, but also roll out a high-scoring offense that features a dominating running game and an explosive passing attack. Running back Arian Foster averages just over 96 years per game and wide receiver Andre Johnson is still a dangerous weapon, despite being hobbled by injuries the past few seasons.

Both teams feature stout defenses with top-tier pass rushers but differ in their approach. The Texans focus on giving up fewer yards to set up a short field for their offense while the Bears pride themselves on taking the ball away and scoring on defense. Either way, both teams rank in the top five in total defense.

Much has been made about J.J. Watt and his talent on the defensive line. He currently leads the league in three important categories, racking up 10.5 sacks, 21 quarterback hits and 18 tackles for loss. He will largely match up against right tackle Gabe Carimi, who has struggled of late with false starts and missed blocks. But Carimi is familiar with Watt from their time together at the University of Wisconsin. Carimi should be well acquainted with Watt's bag of tricks and has no excuse to let him dominate this game. Offensive coordinator Mike Tice will surely give Carimi help with tight end blocking schemes and running back chips, but now is the time for the former first round draft pick to step up. He should be fully recovered from last year's knee injury and has the experience to be able to contain the Texans' most dominant defensive player.

A main point of emphasis for the Bears will be to run the ball effectively, if only to slow down Watt and Texans' fierce pass rush. Even in the win against Tennessee, the Bears offensive line showed a few kinks and cannot afford to let quarterback Jay Cutler become a tackling dummy in the backfield. If Cutler takes too many hits, he'll try to force the ball, creating interception opportunities. But if the Bears can get running backs Matt Forte and Michael Bush going, it will set up the pass for Cutler, Brandon Marshal and the Bears' other wide receivers. And as many Bears fans remember, former Bear and current Houston safety Danieal Manning has a penchant for giving up big plays.

All in all, this is a good matchup for the Bears, especially since the game will be played at Soldier Field. The teams largely match up in strength vs. strength categories, with the only glaring weakness being the Bears offensive line. But if they can run block effectively and give Cutler time, the Bears should be able to squeak out a victory in a close game.

Stats provided by ESPN.com and advancednflstats.com.