5 big stats from the Chicago Bears loss against the Houston Texans

2-1

Ultimately, the Bears lost the turnover battle to a 2-1 ratio on Sunday. With two interceptions from Williams in the second half, the Bears defense tried their best but were only able to force one turnover on a fumble recovery near the end of the game.

In football, and really any ball sport for that matter, it is all about taking care of the ball, and Williams will learn from his mistakes in not being more careful. Now, neither turnover was a horrendous throw or bad read, rather one came on a 50/50 ball to Moore and the other came on a third down where he likely was just looking too aggressively to make a play.

Still, without those two late-game turnovers, the Bears could have been in a better position to make the game a little closer down the stretch. As Williams and his game mature, he should come to understand that with a capable defense at his back, he does not need to make semi-careless decisions, but rather take what the defense gives him and lean on the rest of the team to get the job done. It is hard to crucify a talented, confident player for having confidence in his talents as a passer, but Williams would have had a better shot at helping his team to victory had he been more stringent in protecting the ball like he was during week one.

0

Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (number 0) threw and landed a punch on the sidelined Roschon Johnson during the third quarter, which shockingly resulted in 0 penalty yards for the Bears. For whatever reason, the referees and the league decided not to penalize the linebacker for his blatant assault on the sideline (shortly after he got away with a late hit on an out-of-bounds Williams), although a publicized fine will likely be brought down on the player over the course of the week.

Bringing attention to this moment is not to be misinterpreted as a bias against the Bears nor as a crucial element of their loss, but from a personal perspective, I do not think I have ever seen a player blatantly punch an opponent with no penalty or official reaction from the referees whatsoever.

The Texans defense certainly brought the juice on Sunday night, but this moment, as well as a few others, seemed to be somewhat out of line considering the circumstances. Houston finished the game with 12 penalties that resulted in nearly 115 yards for the Bears, but many will (rightfully so) point to Al-Shaair's violent outbreak as a moment that does not belong in a sanctioned, competitive event.