Rain. Wind. Mud. Tonight is going to be a true ground-and-pound effort by both the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans. Soldier Field will quickly turn to mud, and the passing game should be rendered useless, save for a few big play-action attempts by both ballclubs.

This is your 1st quarter open thread for the 7-1 Bears vs 7-1 Texans... Both teams hope to establish themselves as the league's elite, and many analysts are even calling this a potential Super Bowl preview.

In case you missed it, on behalf of all of the staff here at Windy City Gridiron, we wish our military veterans a very happy Veterans Day, and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your service protecting our families and communities.

Now on with the game! Who do you have tonight? Can Matt Forte and Michael Bush quickly establish the run game and keep the Texans' offense on the field? WIll the mess of a playing surface expose some of the offensive issues our team has?

Quarter 1 is underway... Have fun!