After a st꧙ellar performance in Week 1, the Chicago Bears secondary will face a tough group on Sunday night in Houston.
Bears Secondary
Texans Receivers (and Tight Ends)
(Q) = Questionable
Bears Secondary Expectations
Chicago has one of the best secondaries in football—as proved last week when they saved the day against Tennessee. Jaylon Johnson had a game-sealing interception and the top cornerback grade on Pro Football Focus in Week 1, and Tyrique Stevenson’s game-winning pick-six earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
But they’ll face a taller task this week when they take on C.J. Stroud and the Texans on Sunday Night Football in Houston. Stroud is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and his arsenal of pass-catching weapons includes Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, and Tank Dell, among others.
C.J. Stroud didn’t waste any time getting familiar with his new No. 1 option in Diggs, throwing two touchdown passes to Diggs in their victory over the Texans. However, Stefon Diggs averaged only 1.6 air yards per target on his six in Week 1, his fewest air yards per target since 2016.
How will the Bears’ secondary matchup with the Texans’ trio of wide receivers?
Matt Eberflus aligns his corners by field and boundary, and Jaylon Johnson played 93 percent of his snaps as the field corner on 93 percent of his snaps while Tyrique Stevenson spent 90 percent of his snaps as the b⛦oundary cornerback.
Stefon Diggs spent 4ꦆ8 percent of his snaps in Week 1 in the slot, with Collins primarily out wide (93 percent of his snaps) and Dell behind him. So, Diggs will spend a significant amount of snaps lined up with Kyler Gordon in the slot.
That sets up a Jaylon Johnson-Nico Collins matchup. Johnson did not allow a reception in Week 1 and forced a tight window (Next Gen Stats) on both targets that came his way. Conversely, Nico Collins led all receivers with three receptions and 83 yards on four tight window targets in Week 1. Next Gen Stats defines a “tight window” as less than one yard of separation.
Texans Receivers Expectations
C.J. Stroud has an excellent trio of wide receivers to work with and will look to get the ball to Stefon Diggs after targeting him six times in Week 1, with the two hooking up on every targ🦩et twice for touchdowns.
Collins was Stroud’s No. 1 last season, and he picked up where he left off in Week 1, hauling six passes for 117 yards on eight targets against the Colts. Tank Dell had three catches last week on seven targets and picked up 40 yards.
However, with the Bears presenting the Texans with arguably the best secondary they’ll face all year, DeMeco Ryans and OC Bobby Slowik could turn to Joe Mixon to shoulder the load against Chicago, especially with the vulnerability that their defense showed at times in the first half last week against Tony Pollard and Tennesse.
Mixon picked up 159 yards and a touchdown on a career-high 30 carries in his Houston debut last wee♎k against Indianapolis. His performance earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, and Ryans said this week that Mixon is a significant part of their gameplan on offense.
“The most important factor of our success on Sunday obviously was running the foot𒆙ball,” . “Being able to control the game, that was the biggest thing for us. We haven’t had that in a while. So, for us to♋ be able to do that, you see how the game flows much better for us when we’re able to line up and run the football.”
Mixon is also a threat out of the backfield as a pass catcher, hauling in 5♍2 passes for 376 yards and three scores with the Bengals last season. Mixon has never had less than 30 catches in a full season, and his yards per reception have been impressive every season. Here are his last five seasons:
*Limited to six games in 2021.
X-Factor
If the Texans keep Stefon Diggs in the slot on Sunday, Kyler Gordon will have one of the tougher matchups of his career. If Gordon can keep Diggs in check and out of the end zone, the Bears secondary will have a good shot at co🧸ntaining C.J. Stroud and the Texans air attack.
