Head Coach Lovie Smith and the Texans head to Chicago this week in search of their first win of the season. Smith served as the Bears head coach for nine seasons, leading them to a 2006 NFC Championship and Super Bowl appearance. The Week 3 return to Soldier Field won't be a first for Smith, who faced his former team during the 2014 season as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"Going back, I spent a lot of time in Chicago, some great years," Smith said. "But it's game three as I see it. There's an opponent on the other side. Their running attack against the Packers last night, they didn't get everything going the way that they wanted. Running game-wise, they were able to get the running game going, featuring both of the backs that you mentioned. That will be challenge for us. We haven't played the run as well as we would like. That's definitely an area that we'll be looking to improve upon."
In their Sunday night loss at Green Bay, the Bears' rushing attack put up 180 yards with a rushing touchdown by QB Justin Fields in the first quarter. RB David Montgomery rushed for 122 yards on 15 carries, averaging 8.1 yards per attempt.
After two close games, a 20-20 tie to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1 and Sunday's 16-9 loss in Denver, the Texans have more to improve than just their run defense heading into their second road game. Smith says he wants to see increased production across the board.
"Offensively, it starts with just points scored," Smith said. "It's pretty simple. We have to score points. We haven't scored touchdowns. You're not going to win many games when you don't score a touchdown. We didn't score a touchdown yesterday. That improvement for them. Defensive side of the football, don't like the way we tackled late. There are opportunities that you left out on the football field. We evaluate each group and normally when you lose, really when you win also, every area you can improve. I think a lot of areas we improved from game one. I'm excited about what we can possibly do this week."
Kickoff for Sunday's game against the Bears is set for noon CT on CBS and SportsRadio 610.
