Chicago Bears: 3 Things to know about the Houston Texans before Week 14

The Chicago Bears playoff hopes hinge on a matchup vs the Houston Texans

If the missed opportunities of the 2017 NFL Draft have yet to challenge your sanity, consider this Sunday’s game a potential final test. The Chicago Bears (5-7) will attempt to salvage damaged postseason aspirations against the Houston Texans (4-8), and in the process, No. 2 selection Mitch Trubisky will battle a former classmate for the second time (and maybe the final time) in as many years.

Last Sunday, the Bears watched as a 99.1 win probability and a 10-point lead evaporated in less time than it takes to cook a bowl of Ramen, taking a 34-30 defeat against the Detroit Lions to the chin. A battle-tested group they may be, but after dropping six consecutive games, quotes on character and resilience can only get one so far when game time approaches.

The loss dropped the Bears’ Playoff hopes to a paltry 10 percent, which is disconcerting because it appeared the Bears finally cracked the code on offense. The play-calling in the first two half was … in two words, simple, but also excellent. The Bears finally put the likes of David Montgomery and Cordarrelle Patterson in positions to succeed, and Mitch Trubisky played a winnable game.

As fate would have it, that production was all for naught.

Nonetheless, the train keeps moving. This week, the Bears will be facing a similar foe in the Houston Texans. Both teams are hamstrung in terms of what they can do personnel-wise in the offseason. Both have dealt with whispers about front office changes (the Texans actually followed through on their end), and both were dealt significant blows in the 2020-21 Playoff picture.

Beyond that, here are a few things to know about this week’s opponent.