Why the Texans’ Week 3 showdown with the Bears may be a ‘must win’ game

The Houston Texans have a ‘must win’ game Sunday against the Chicago Bears in Week 3.

They have to win a game to put some positive energy back into the locker room after two weeks of not being able to finish games by giving up double-digit points without producing any.

Although the Bears defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1 in what seemed to be a monsoon at Soldier Field, they quickly came back to Earth when they went to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers and took it on the chin 27-10 on Sunday Night Football.

Chicago’s offense looked lethargic outside the 122 rushing yards by running back David Montgomery. Houston will look to lower that number this week, even though they have the 30th-ranked run defense in the NFL and have been known to give up big yards late in the games.

A lot of those yards are gained from missed tackles, which they have begun focusing on more this week.

“Running game-wise, they were able to get the running game going (against the Green Bay Packers), said Texans coach Lovie Smith. “That will be a challenge for us. We haven’t played the run as well as we would like. That’s definitely an area that will be looking to improve upon.”

While the Bears’ rushing attack will be on full display against the Texans, Houston has a game plan of their own as they plan to increase the workload of rookie running back Dameon Pierce, averaging 3.9 yards a carry.

Hopefully, that will increase as the Texans take advantage of a Chicago run defense that is giving up over 189.5 yards per game, which ranks them last in the league.

This game should also be a coming-out party for second-year quarterback Davis Mills who has had an up-and-down start to the season. While he hasn’t thrown an interception on the season, his dismal 5.6 yards per completion stands out, along with just two passing touchdowns that came during Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts. Houston has also failed to reach the end zone in their last six quarters of play.

“Just keep straining, trying to make plays,” said Mills during his weekly press conference about improving on the offensive side of the ball. “We do it out here in practice. We did it all camp, throughout preseason, just got to execute once we get in the games. It starts with me, I’ve got to make all the throws, and I know that. Just got to keep pushing for what we’ve been training for. I think we’re ready to perform. We’ve just got to do it.”

With the amount of pressure building on Hamilton and Mills to jumpstart the Texans offense, wide receiver Brandin Cooks also wants some of the blame for the offensive woes to be placed on his shoulders. His dropped touchdown pass last week against the Denver Broncos that would have helped the Texans increase their lead is a catch he makes consistently.

“He has the respect of his teammates and he’s a captain,” said offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton. “He’s a guy that’s going to make plays for us and when given the opportunity to, he’s made those plays. We’re a couple plays away. We’re just going to make those plays.”