Sunday Night Football Texans at Bears on NBC Nov. 11

Sunday Night Football on NBC Nov. 11 features one of the season’s best games as the 7-1 Houston Texans visit the 7-1 Chicago Bears.

It’s irresistible force vs. immovable object at Soldier Field on Sunday, Nov. 11, at 8:20pm ET as the 7-1 Houston Texans visit the 7-1 Chicago Bears in what could be the best game of the season. The Texans’ prolific trio of quarterback Matt Schaub, running back Arian Foster and wide receiver Andre Johnson goes up against a Bears’ defensive unit that not only forces a lot of turnovers, but also takes them the other way for touchdowns. Here are a few nuggets surrounding the game:

The Texans are ranked 12th in the NFL in offensive yards per game, while the Bears are ranked 25th. But the real impact of the Bears defense is realized in their No. 3 ranking in points per game — scoring on defense and special teams, as well as getting the short field for the offense through turnovers and big returns cuts down on the offensive workload. The Texans are ranked second in points per game.

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The Bears’ turnover margin is +16. The Texans’ is +8.

The Bears’ defense is ranked No. 2 in points per game allowed (15). The Texans are ranked No. 4 with 17.1 points per game allowed. They are also ranked No. 4 in total defense with 285.5 yards per game allowed.

The Texans’ defense is No. 4 against the pass and No. 2 against the run. The Bears’ defense is No. 16 against the pass and 6th against the run.

The Bears’ and Texans’ defenses are tied for third with 25 sacks on the season.

The Bears’ have seven interceptions returned for touchdowns through eight games. The Texans have three.

The Texans’ offensive line is excellent at protecting Schaub: They’ve allowed only 10 sacks on the season, 2nd best in the NFL. The Bears have allowed 28 sacks, 30th best in the league.

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A key matchup to watch is the Texans’ DE J.J. Watt against the Bears’ LT Gabe Carimi, both 2011 first-round draft picks and teammates at Wisconsin. Watt is a defensive player of the year candidate, while Carimi has struggled at times this season.

Watt leads the NFL in sacks with 10.5 this season. The Bears’ Tim Jennings leads the league in interceptions with 6.

The Texans’ and Bears’ only losses of the season came against the Green Bay Packers.

Bears’ cornerback Charles Tillman forced four fumbles against Tennessee last week. There was a strong possibility that Tillman could miss the Texans game with his wife due to give birth. But Tillman Tweeted, “Baby is coming Monday don’t worry I’ll be there Sunday.”

3 Comments

  1. This is definitely the game of the year so far! Both teams have a great offenses and defenses and it will likely come down to who will force the most turnovers. The Chicago defense has always been tough, but Jay Cutler is finally playing up to his potential. I may not make it home in time for the game tomorrow night, but I can catch up with it since it’ll be recorded through the Primetime Anytime feature on my Hopper from DISH. Once enabled, my DVR automatically records three hours of the four major networks during primetime. A coworker at DISH told me about this feature, and now I don’t need to set timers for programs on those channels anymore. I think the score will be 17-14 Bears!

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About Ryan Berenz 2166 Articles
Member of the Television Critics Association. Charter member of the Ancient and Mystic Society of No Homers. Squire of the Ancient & Benevolent Order of the Lynx, Lodge 49, Long Beach, Calif. Costco Wholesale Gold Star Member since 2011.