Game 16: Bears vs. Texans

The Bears have won their last three games going into the regular season finale. They stand at 9-6 and in a tie with the Vikings, who own the tie-breaker. The Houston Texans are 7-8 and are out of the playoff hunt. They are looking to play "spoiler" in this game. My goal is to not only evaluate this game, but also the Vikings game and the Lions game.

Quarterback Comparison

Name	QB Rating	Comp-Att	Comp %	Yards	TD-Int	Fumbles
Kyle Orton	78.1	250-428	58.4%	2,728	16-12	6
Matt Schuab	89.7	224-344	65.1%	2,715	13-10	10

Looking from the outside in, these two QBs are about the same. Schuab, though, looks to me to be a better QB due to a higher completion rate. His flaw: gaurding the football. Ten fumbles are just too much. He has only lost four of them, but when you fumble ten of them, it spells out a bigger problem.

Rushing Comparison

Name	Carries	Yards	TDs	Catches	Yards	TDs
Matt Forte	303	1,188	8	60	452	4
Steve Slaton	248	1,190	8	45	341	1

Forte is the better back here. He may not average as many yards per carry as Slaton, but he is available to catch and he does grab down some good yardage per carry.

Receiving Comparison

Name	Catches	Yards	TDs	Fumbles
Devin Hester	45	580	3	0
Greg Olson	50	544	4	2
Rashied Davis	33	410	2	0
Andre Johnson	105	1,427	6	1
Kevin Walter	59	876	8	0
Owen Daniels	67	825	2	2

The Texans clearly have the better receivers, with Johnson leading the way. The Texans have plenty of options when it comes to a pass play, which is going to test the Bears passing coverage to the hilt.

Defense Comparison

Name	Tackles	Sacks	Ints-TD	Deflections
Lance Briggs	105	0.5	3-0	11
Charles Tillman	83	0.0	3-1	16
Alex Brown	40	6.0	1-0	4
DeMeco Ryans	102	1.0	0-0	3
Jacques Reeves	50	0.0	4-1	18
Mario Williams	51	11.0	0-0	0

The Bears also have Ogunleye and Harris, both with 5 sacks a piece.



Forecast: The Bears are technically hot right now. They have won their last three to bring forth a final regular season finale that could determine if they make the playoffs or not. The Texans have the #3 offense in the NFL, while the Bears appear to be average at best in offense and defense. It really makes you wonder how the Bears have made it this far... and still keep on winning. Texans defense is awful. The real matchup will be between the Bears defense and the Texans offense. I like the Bears in this one. The score should be close between these two teams... with the Bears ahead... 19-17.

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