:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50786391/usa-today-9535777.0.jpg)
**FINAL SCORE**
-----------------------
The Chicago Bears started their 2016 on the road, traveling a few hours south to take on a highly motivated Houston Texans team. The game started off exactly as Chicago would have wanted-- The Texans first offensive possession ended with an interception by Tracy Porter, and the Bears answered shortly after with a touchdown from Jeremy Langford.
Jay Cutler played good football, and went into halftime with a passer rating of over 140. His official stats at the half were 10/13, 156 yards, 1 TD, and 0 INT. Alshon Jeffery had over 100 yards receiving in the first half.
Cutler led the Bears to a 14-10 halftime lead, despite the running game struggling against a tough front-7 of Houston.
The second half was a true dogfight, with both teams making plays on both sides of the ball-- and both making their share of errors. Jay Cutler was picked off in the 3rd quarter after wide receiver Kevin White ran what appeared to be the wrong route, and the defense at times were carved up by Brock Osweiler and the Texans offense.
But as the game moved along, the Texans proved they were the better team on Sunday. They stymied the Bears offense with some stunts and blitzes that took advantage of having a rookie center and brand new offensive guard, and did just enough offensively to pull out the win.
One thing is for certain: The Chicago Bears have a lot of young, talented players on both sides of the football that are going to pay dividends down the road. There will be growing pains along the way, but guys like Langford, Cody Whitehair, Kevin White, Jacoby Glenn, and more are the future of this team.
FINAL GAME STATS
Offense-
Jay Cutler: 16/29, 216 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Jeremy Langford: 17 rushes, 57 yds, 1 TD
Alshon Jeffery: 4 catches, 105 yards
Kevin White: 3 catches, 34 yards
Defense-
Jerrell Freeman: 17 tackles
Danny Trevathan: 11 tackles, 1 sack
Leonard Floyd: 6 tackles