The NFL preseason will begin on Thursday, August 1, with the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears playing the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. Since football is finally on the betting board, we added our favorite bet for the game below, as always, with the help of our computers.
NFL Pick: Texans (+105) at Caesars Sportsbook
Houston Texans vs. Chicago Bears
Thursday, August 01, 2024 – 08:00 PM ET at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
It’s Just Preseason!
After all 32 teams finally reported to training camp, we’re ready for some actual NFL action.
This week, preseason football will get started between the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans. Remember, this isn’t an actual game. It’s a preseason game, meaning most star players and starters will be held out for most, if not all, of the game action.
Still, it’s exciting that we’re even talking about football right now!
Thoughts On The Bears
The Bears might’ve had the No. 1 pick this year, but it wasn’t because they were bad. They just added Carolina’s No. 1 overall pick from a previous trade.
Ultimately, it felt like Chicago turned a corner, specifically on the defensive side of the ball. In this game, we’ll get to see if the offense will do the same this year.
Chicago drafted former USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall selection. Not long after, the Bears grabbed rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze to pair him with Williams. The Bears will now have a stacked offense that includes Williams (QB), D’Andre Swift (RB), DJ Moore (WR), Keenan Allen (WR), Odunze (WR), and Cole Kmet (TE) as his main targets offensively.
There are super high expectations for Williams. But as a rookie, it will be challenging. Bryce Young, for example, was drafted by the Panthers last season using Chicago’s first overall pick. He didn’t play very well last year. Instead, C.J. Stroud was the best quarterback, and Anthony Richardson showed flashes before his injury. The first pick is never a guaranteed hit.
However, with that said, the Bears invested in Williams by adding a ton of talent behind him. They never did this for Justin Fields while he was quarterback there.
Expect Williams to play at least the first drive of the game. Since he’s a rookie, he might get more reps. But he’s also already reportedly the starter, so that could push Williams to just one drive in the first game.
Thoughts On The Texans
While Caleb Williams and the Bears have high expectations, the Houston Texans have even higher expectations.
C.J. Stroud led the Texans into the playoffs in his first season as quarterback. He also won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award and quickly became a household name in the NFL.
Stroud did this while many of his wide receivers were injured last year. Tank Dell missed a lot of time, but so did Nico Collins and Noah Brown. However, now the depth is much better at wide receiver. The Texans added Stefon Diggs and will still have Dell, Collins, and Brown. Robert Woods and Ben Skowronek will compete for reps.
In addition, the Texans still have Dalton Schultz, who is a top 10 tight end, and added Joe Mixon to be the starting running back for the squad.
Stroud figures to see the first series for the Texans but will be shut down after that, along with the rest of the starters.
Who Will Play The Majority Of The Snaps?
The Houston Texans are deeper at quarterback. That’s significant news because both teams will use their backups for most of this first game.
The Texans have Davis Mills, Case Keenum, and Tim Boyle. All four quarterbacks have legitimate NFL starting experience.
Meanwhile, the Bears could give some reps to Tyson Bagent, who had a fun streak of games last season for the Bears. He’s also a younger quarterback with less experience than the Texans’ quarterbacks. Behind him will be Brett Rypien, who is also an experienced quarterback.
It just feels like Mills and Keenum have had much better careers than Rypien.
However, the Bears are deep at running back with Roschon Johnson and Travis Homer. The Texans will play mostly Dare Ogunbowale. The potential with Johnson is greater.
The Pick
Last year, Houston finished the preseason 2-1, while the Bears went 1-2. The Texans had a rookie heading into the year, while the Bears didn’t.
This year, the roles are reversed. However, quarterback play is still the kicker for me. We’ll get much more experienced play out of Houston. The fewer turnovers, the better. Therefore, we’ll rock with the Texans at +1.5 and -110 NFL odds.
NFL Pick: Texans (+105) at Caesars Sportsbook (check our Caesars Sportsbook Review)
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