Bears down Texans in preseason opener | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
excerpt:
The Texans' preseason opener against the Chicago Bears proved three things: The special teams have a chance to be extremely special. The offense needs a ton of work in the red zone. The defense needs to improve the pass rush.
The Bears left Reliant Stadium with a 20-19 victory that came on Robbie Gould's 47-yard field goal with 36 seconds left.
The Texans showed they have a lot more to worry about than a preseason loss, starting with the loss of strong safety Glenn Earl. He suffered a foot injury that probably will require surgery and should cost him the first several games of regular season at the least.
"It doesn't look good, but we'll know more Sunday," coach Gary Kubiak said.
On a night in which former quarterback David Carr threw two touchdown passes in Carolina's victory over the New York Giants, the Texans could manufacture only one touchdown against the Bears, the defending NFC champions.
"We always talk about finding ways to win, but tonight, we found ways to lose," Kubiak said. "When you score one touchdown after being in the red zone four times, you're going to lose."
Yes, it was the first exhibition for the Texans and the Bears. Kubiak and Lovie Smith, native Texans on opposite sidelines for the first time as head coaches, played everyone but their sons, and now they'll return to camp for some serious evaluations.
"We didn't run the ball well, and we've got to find out why," Kubiak said. "There were some things we did well and some things we didn't do very well.
"At a time like this, we're usually looking at negative things so we can correct them, but I was happy with some things, too. Our special teams did a very good job. We showed we've got a chance to make some big plays in the return game."
Their one touchdown came in the third quarter when Sage Rosenfels threw a 6-yard scoring pass to tight end Jeb Putzier.
"When you have someone come off the bench and pick up the slack the way Sage did, that's what you're looking for," said running back Ahman Green, who started and played the first quarter. "Whether it's quarterback, running back, wide receiver or the guys on the offensive line, when the next guy comes in, there's no dropoff."
Kubiak is giving the players today off. They'll return to camp on Monday with two practices. Their next preseason game is Saturday afternoon at Glendale, Ariz., where they'll play the Arizona Cardinals.
Sounds familiar - Texans Lose
Sounds familiar - Texans Lose
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