August 11, 2007
Outcome not the only positive in preseason opener
By Larry Mayer
HOUSTON – The Bears opened the preseason with a 20-19 comeback victory over the Houston Texans Saturday night at Reliant Stadium. But there were several positive developments even before Robbie Gould’s 47-yard field goal capped the wild rally with :36 remaining.
Bears quarterbacks Rex Grossman, Brian Griese and Kyle Orton all played well, combining to complete 30 of 42 passes for 273 yards with 2 touchdowns, 1 interception and 94.6 passer rating.
Rex Grossman looked sharp in limited action in Saturday night's win over the Texans.
The Chicago defense kept the game within reach by keeping the Texans out of the end zone in the first half. Houston settled for four field goals on three trips inside the 20 and another possession that began at the Bears’ 24 following a 78-yard kickoff return.
The Bears then rallied from a 19-7 deficit entering the final period as Orton helped generate two field goals and a touchdown on three fourth-quarter possessions.
“Anytime you keep score, you want to win the football game, so we feel good about that,” said coach Lovie Smith. “When you go into a game you want to get a lot of tough situations. We were able to get that, needing a score at the end of the football game to win it.”
Playing the first two series of the game, the Bears’ No. 1 offense moved the ball but failed to score. Grossman completed his first eight passes and finished 8 of 10 for 50 yards with an 87.5 passer rating. Cedric Benson rushed for 23 yards on five carries and caught three passes for 11 yards.
“We looked pretty sharp,” Grossman said. “We didn’t get on the board, but on the first couple of series for the year we did alright. We moved the ball pretty well. It’s good to see that in the first preseason game.”
On the game’s opening possession, Grossman completed 7 of 7 passes for 48 yards to four different receivers. But Gould hooked a 52-yard field goal attempt wide left with 8:48 left in the first quarter.
Kris Brown’s first of four first-half field goals without a miss, a 37-yarder, gave the Texans a 3-0 lead with 1:44 remaining in the opening period.
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Outcome not the only positive in preseason opener - Chicago Bears