6 Chicago Bears who are key to a victory over the Texans
Looking back at how the Chicago Bears played against the Titans, I'm not sure many fans believe the Bears have a chance against the Texans this weekend. We should have known that patience would be important when it came to the development of Caleb Williams.
The one big takeaway I got from watching Williams play last week against the Titans is that his performance had nothing to do with him not understanding the playbook or reading the defense. He made good decisions but had some happy feet. The defense came to the rescue though, giving the Bears a much-needed win.
This week's matchup is going to be more difficult though. The Titans have some serious talent in many positions other than quarterback. That was the difference between them winning and losing in Week 1. Caleb Williams did not turn the ball over while Will Levis turned it over multiple times.
The Bears have six players who must perform well if they want to win
CJ Stroud is not Will Leviis and the Texans also have some serious talent on the offensive side of the ball. Their wide receiver group is elite. Their tight end is at least average. Joe Mixon proved he's still a legit running back, and their offensive line is made up of an elite left tackle plus a few other solid pieces. Basically, the Chicago Bears' defense will have their hands full in this one. On the plus side, the Titans' defense is better than the Texans' defense. Hopefully, this will allow Caleb Williams to perform better than he did against the Titans. The only problem is the injury report. Yikes!
When looking at this matchup, I believe six players must perform well if Chicago has any chance of winning. These six players are the key to a win over a loss. Three are on the defensive side of the ball and three play on offense. Up first is Tyrique Stevenson.
Tyrique Stevenson, CB
Some of you might be surprised to not see Jaylon Johnson's name on this list. Yes, spoiler alert, Johnson is not one of my six key players. The reason is that he has become an elite corner in this league and the expectations for him are nothing less than greatness. Although he might be a "key" to a Chicago Bears win, it's the corner on the opposite side of the field that really needs to perform.
We saw Tyrique Stevenson play a great game in Week 1. He was the one who picked off Will Levis and took it to the house for a touchdown. I'm not expecting him to repeat that exemplary play, but I want him to hold strong against this talented wide receiver group. Stevenson was targeted nine times in Week 1 and did not let up a single completion. Last year he only allowed 60% of his targets to be completed. With Johnson and Stevenson on the outside, the Bears should have plenty of opportunities to get some takeaways this season.
With the likes of Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and Stephon Diggs at wide receiver, Stevenson needs to be a deciding factor again this week.