(SportsRadio 610) - The Texans and Bears could play the fastest game in the NFL this season.
Going into Sunday’s game at Soldier Field, the Texans and Bears have two of the three-worst run defenses in the NFL.
Considering how second-year quarterbacks Davis Mills and Justin Fields are struggling and coming off poor performances in losses, both teams should run, run and then run some more.
The Bears, 1-1 in Matt Eberflus’ first season as coach, are last against the run, allowing 189.5 yards, including 5.1 a carry.
The Texans, 0-1-1 in Lovie Smith’s first season as coach, are 30th against the run, surrendering 163 yards, including 4.7 a carry.
Eberflus has one significant advantage: The Bears can run the ball. They’re eighth in rushing with 139.5 yards a game and 4.4 a carry. The Texans are 27th in rushing with 78.5 yards and 3.4 a carry.
That 3.4-yard average is the same as the Texans compiled last season, and it was the worst in the league. This season, there are three teams, including Buffalo, averaging fewer yards a carry.
After inexplicably relying on Rex Burkhead to shoulder the load in the tie with Indianapolis, offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton came to his senses in the loss at Denver and utilized Dameon Pierce as his primary back. He responded with 69 yards on 15 carries.
The Texans are 2 ½-point underdogs in Chicago. Their best way to upset the Bears is to rely on a Pierce-led running game to control the ball, take some heat off Mills and keep the defense on the visiting sideline.
Smith and Hamilton want a run-first offense that helps keep Mills out of long situations that allow the defense to tee off on him. That means Pierce must do the heavy-duty work for a second consecutive game.
Asked about Pierce’s performance against the Bears compared to the Colts (11 carries for 33 yards), Smith said, “First, our commitment to him, getting him more carries.
“What we saw (at Denver) is what we’ve seen throughout. He’s a tough guy to bring down. As a team, we need to finish. I haven’t said that an awful lot to Dameon (because) he finishes plays. What we want to be -- that toughness and extra effort -- that’s exactly what we see from him every time he gets the ball.”
If Hamilton doesn’t get Pierce the ball at least 25 times on Sunday, there should be an investigation. The run blockers have to pulverize the worst run defense in the NFL.
In the loss to Denver, left guard Kenyon Green and center Scott Quessenberry started for the first time and impressed the coaches, especially Smith, who was singing their praises. Now they have to be better because the run is essential for the Texans to have an opportunity to win their first game.
Let’s call it old-fashioned football in one of the most historic stadiums in the country. It’s up to Hamilton to make sure Pierce isn’t underutilized again.
“I think when we can find a way to feature a playmaker like Dameon, he’s shown he’s explosive and can create his own yards,” Hamilton said. “We’re hoping the more he plays, he’s going to find different ways to finish runs. Not necessarily run everybody over, but it’s good to see he’s tough, physical and willing to be aggressive and get extra yards when he’s about to be tackled.”
On the other side of the ball, the defense has to be able contain running backs David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert. Montgomery, who had an 80-yard touchdown run in the Chicago blowout of the Texans in 2020, averages 4.6 yards a carry. Herbert averages 6.4.
“We haven’t played our best ball vs. the run (and we) haven’t tackled as well as we need to,” Smith said. “Every defense should start trying to stop the run. You make that commitment to it. But there’s so much more than running the football. We’ve got to be successful running, but we’ve got to open our passing game, too.”
That’s up to Hamilton and Mills, who’s coming off one of his worst games in the loss to the Broncos.
The had too many dropped passes, including one Brandin Cooks didn’t catch in the end zone. The offensive line committed crucial penalties.
“When the opportunity presents itself for us to make plays, we’re going to make those plays,” Hamilton said. “We feel good about our guys having a great understanding of what we’re doing and how we’re attacking our opponents. We just now have to capitalize on those opportunities.
“We’re trying to do everything we can to stay out of obvious passing situations. That’s the biggest challenge for quarterbacks. We’re doing everything we can to make sure third down is manageable and give ourselves a better chance of continuing drives and scoring points.”
Mills needs to bounce back, and so does Fields.
In a home victory over San Francisco and a loss at Green Bay, Fields threw only 28 passes and completed 15, the fewest in the league. His 53.6 completion percentage is worse than Mills’ 56.0. Mills (80.8) has a better rating than Fields (69.2).
At Soldier Field, the Texans need to put some Pep in an offense that has balance, avoids penalties and turnovers and takes advantage of scoring opportunities in the red zone. If they can pull that off and escape Chicago with a victory, the Texans’ 1-1-1 record could be good for first place in the AFC South next week.
John McClain can be heard Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday on Sports Radio 610 and Monday and Thursday on Texans Radio. He does three weekly Houtopia podcasts for 610. He also can be read four times a week on GallerySports.com.