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

No. 2: The Texans’ third-quarter defense is among the best in the NFL

The goal every time I write is to supply a reader with something they may not have known before. Here’s an attempt: this season, the Chicago Bears offense has taken the field in the third quarter on a whopping 35 occasions.

They’ve scored once. On 35 attempts.

Those expecting that trend to change on Week 14 could be setting themselves up for disappointment. On the year, Houston has the sixth-stingiest third-quarter defense in the NFL, allowing just 3.3 points per game.

As Hulk Hogan and Andre, The Giant might say… it’ll be the “unstoppable force against the immovable object.” In this case, the Chicago Bears would be the immovable object; chains and first down markers simply don’t move when they touch the field.

In last week’s game, the Texans’ rock-solid third-quarter defense served as the basis for their near-comeback. That 26-20 defeat proved that Houston can be susceptible against dink-and-dunk offenses the way Philip Rivers’ Colts had last week. But in the second half, A.J. Moore and the Texans kept it under wraps, rendering them scoreless on five drives.

Since transitioning back to Trubisky, the Bears’ offense has been serviceable, but the third quarter woes continue.

Over the last two weeks, Chicago has produced just 55 yards on 23 plays. But, it does pit a matchup of Chicago’s explosive offense against Houston’s vulnerable one in the fourth quarter. It certainly has the feel of a 23-20 sort of game.