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Which Texans team will show up against the Bears?
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Texans players and coaches will say all the right things leading up to this game, but I wonder how motivated they will be to play through adversity when it arrives on Sunday?
Notice I didn't say "if it arrives."
The Texans weren't prepared to play at Oakland last Sunday and got their butts whipped. During the week leading up to that game I asked Eric Winston how they were planning to guard against a let-down going into Oakland after coming off the big win over the Titans.
He chuckled and said something like "look how far we've come - the Houston Texans talking about guarding against let-downs - now there's something you don't hear every day."
The problem is that I was being serious.
The following isn't an assault on the professionalism of our players and coaches, it's a statement on human nature and a reflection on what happened at Oakland.
If the Texans can 'come out flat' in a winnable game that could have helped them achieve their first winning season ever, who's to say they won't come out flat again in a game that means everything to the Bears - but only pride, a possible .500 season, and a few spots up or down in draft position to the Texans?
Yeah, the Texans want to go out on a high note, but let's say for the sake of discussion that they find themselves in another bad spot on Sunday -- trailing a tough defensive team 19-13 at the end of the 3rd quarter (channeling the Ravens game here).
Let's also say for the sake of this example, that the Texans offense found the endzone only once up to that point in the game, in part because of the constant harassment by the likes of Urlacher, Briggs, Ogunleye, Harris, and Brown -- who glance up at the scoreboard and see the Vikings trailing the Giants heading into the 4th quarter.
I wonder just how motivated they will be to fight through a situation like that, knowing that their Hummers, Lamborghinis and tricked out Silverados are all gassed up and idling out in the parking lot.
Considering the Texans last three games, how can anyone predict what will happen on Sunday?
They go to Green Bay and win in 3 degree weather. It was a huge statement in terms of where this team was mentally, or so we thought, having to fight through the elements and their own mistakes to overcome a not so good Packers team.
Then there was the matchup with the nemesis Titans who came in here 12-1 and ready to knock our blocks off, again. But no, the Texans surprised us by rolling up their sleeves and going 12 rounds toe-to-toe with the bully. They had finally shown that they could out-physical someone. It was a huge statement in terms of where this team was physically, or so we thought.
Then they go to Oakland and flush everything.
The fact is that we have no clue what team will show up on Sunday, but I think the best way for the Texans to win this game is to come out quickly and put a bunch of points on the board.
The Bears offense isn't its strength, aside from fabulous rookie RB Matt Forte. Forte is the Bears offense. He's their leading rusher with 1188 yards and 8 TDs, and their leading receiver (in terms of catches) with 60 for another 452 yards and 4 TDs.
[As you read this, keep in mind that Texans defense is capable of making JaMarcus Russell and Johnny Lee Higgins look like Kenny Stabler and Cliff Branch.]
Anyway, tight end Greg Olsen is also a big part of the Bears offensive attack. Olsen plays tough and is second on the Bears team with 50 receptions.
And don't forget about Mr. "You Are Ridiculous," Devin Hester. You can count on the Bears trying to hit Hester over the top if the Texans crowd the line or if they try to get too cute, or desperate, with their blitzes. Hester and Danieal Manning are both very dangerous kick returners who can turn a game in the Bears favor in a matter of seconds.
The Bears run defense is the team's strength. They are 4th in the league allowing only 91 rushing yards per game. They are in the same category of a Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Tennessee, and Minnesota when it comes to stopping the run and those are teams that the Texans had extreme trouble with this season.
The Texans basically have one running back and if they can't get him going on Sunday, it may be another long frustrating day for Texans quarterbacks, and for Texans fans. That is unless they can figure out how to crack the code on Lovie's Cover 2 and get Andre, Kevin or Owen loose for some early 6's before it's too late.
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