5 big stats from the Chicago Bears loss against the Houston Texans
By Peter Jurich
The Chicago Bears were unable to walk away from Houston with a primetime win over the Texans, but the visitors made it competitive down the stretch, ultimately losing by just one possession to the tune of 19 - 13 on Sunday Night Football.
Regardless of what talk radio, national programs, and social media users will say about the team's somewhat unenthusiastic performance, there were a lot of positives for the Bears, and almost certainly even more negatives that need to be corrected before their next game. To see exactly how the Bears came up short, here are five important stats that tell the story of the team's week two loss:
36
According to Next Gen Stats, quarterback Caleb Williams was pressured 36 times on Sunday night, a figure that is made only more horrendous when considering that he dropped back 44 times. With an 82% pressure rate, Texans head coach/defensive play-caller DeMeco Ryans was sure to expose the Bears' offensive weakness - the interior of the line.
For any quarterback, let alone a rookie in his second game on the road for the first time in prime time, it is impossible to expect any form of success with this level of penetration up front. Included in the 36 pressures are an astounding seven sacks, which cost the offense 40 yards and two potential third-down conversions.
Constant pressure early and often is the prime reason the Bears' offense has put together just one touchdown drive in two games, and if this team has any desire to finish the season playing in meaningful games, addressing the pass protection schemes and personnel is a must. For starters, getting away from empty backfield looks will prevent the opposing defense from teeing off in pass rush, and the Bears need to find three blockers between the tackles that are willing to play with the hustle, intensity, and smarts that coach Matt Eberflus preaches in his "H.I.T.S." principles.