Houston Texans v Chicago Bears: Prediction, Tips and Odds

The Texans showed they are not likely to be a one-season wonder with their impressive Week 1 win over the Indianapolis Colts to start the 2024 season and there is sure to be a lively atmosphere at the NRG Stadium as they open their home campaign.

The Bears rallied to beat the Tennessee Titans in Week 1, but face a tougher opponent from the AFC South this time and could be in for a tough night.

Houston Texans v Chicago Bears prop bets - tips and predictions

Joe Mixon over 72.5 rushing yards - 5/6

Joe Mixon has never had the profile of some of the leading running backs in the NFL, but he remains an underrated rusher and looks a smart free-agent pick-up by the Texans after leaving the Cincinnati Bengals in the off-season.

His first performance for the Texans could not have gone much better as he was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week after carrying the ball 30 times for 159 rushing yards in a valuable road win over the Colts.

Mixon was the leading rusher for the Bengals teams who reached the NFL Championship game after the 2022 season and made it back to the AFC Championship game the following year and there still seems to be plenty of juice left in his legs at the age of 28.

He had four 1,000-yard seasons in his seven years with the Bengals and is already well on his way to achieving his first with his new team.

Mixon should again get the vast majority of carries for the Texans as his back-up Dameon Pierce has been battling a hamstring issue and is rated questionable to play.

Cam Akers, who was inactive last week, could get into the action if Pierce is ruled out but Mixon should remain the main man. 

Tennessee running backs Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears had 103 rushing yards from 20 combined attempts against the Bears defence in Week 1 and Mixon looks a great bet to have over 72.5 against them.

Caleb Williams 2+ interceptions - 31/10

The headline of Caleb Williams leading the Bears to victory in his first NFL start was somewhat misleading as the rookie had a tough time on his debut.

The first overall pick in this year's draft completed fewer than half of his passes, with 14 of his 29 attempts reaching Bears receivers for a total of only 93 passing yards.

He is going to need more than that to take down the Texans' tough defence and that could lead to mistakes.

Williams is just 20/31 to throw an interception against Houston, but it's worth aiming for a higher reward in the Player Milestones market and taking him to throw two or more passes to the wrong team at 31/10.

The Texans picked off Colts QB Anthony Richardson once last week and had two interceptions of Browns QB Joe Flacco in their last home game of 2023 in the play-offs.

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Houston Texans v Chicago Bears money line, spread, over/under

	Money Line	Spread	Over/Under
Texans	10/29	-6.5 - 10/11	Over 45.5 - 10/11
Bears	47/20	+6.5 - 10/11	Under 45.5 - 10/11

Spread pick - Texans -6.5 - 10/11

The Texans made tremendous progress in the 2023 season and look set to remain play-off contenders in quarterback CJ Stroud's second campaign.

The Texans' opening win in Indianapolis last week was more clear-cut than the final score of 29-27 suggests and the team's key off-season signings both made a favourable start with DeMeco Ryans' team.

Running back Joe Mixon and wide receiver Stefon Diggs scored all three of the team's touchdowns between them, while star receiver Nico Collins was still able to feast, posting 117 receiving yards.

The Bears have injury worries over rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze and veteran Keenan Allen, which makes life tougher for Williams in his second NFL appearance.

The Bears certainly can't afford another slow start after falling 17-0 behind against the Titans and the Texans are fancied to take this one comfortably at home.

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.