Instant reaction: Chicago Bears defense and run game cover up for Justin Fields' shortcomings in win over Texans

It wasn’t pretty and plenty of questions were created about Justin Fields and the passing offense, but the Chicago Bears escaped Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans with a 23-20 victory at Soldier Field.

Here are our instant reactions to the win …

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Adam Hoge

The Bears badly needed their best player to win this game and Roquan Smith came through. 16 tackles, two TFLs, one massive interception and another PBU. Considering he wasn’t even 100 percent, that’s a game you’re going to remember for a long time. As for the offense, the Bears ran for nearly 300 rushing yards… and almost lost. That’s hard to do. Justin Fields is struggling mightily and it’s hard to blame the coaching staff for not trusting him. I’ll be honest: I’m worried.

Will DeWitt

What did I just watch? That was a crazy game. Kudos to Khalil Herbert to come into the game in place of David Montgomery and just tear up the Texans. The Bears defense destroyed on third down and came away with the big plays when they needed. Those red zone stops kept the game close and Roquan Smith sealed the deal. Serious questions remain on offense, but a win is a win. We’ll focus on those later.

Nicholas Moreano

Even though the Bears came away with the 23-20 victory, it didn’t feel that way. The passing game continues to be non-existent and it’s becoming more clear how this coaching staff has no trust in Justin Fields. And the second-year quarterback hasn’t given the organization any reason to make the team think otherwise. To highlight the positives, though, the Bears ran all over the Texans – finishing with 281 total rushing yards on the day. Khalil Herbert stepped up after David Montgomery left the game with an ankle and knee injury and ran for 157 yards, two touchdowns on 20 carries. Roquan Smith also came up with the game-sealing interception with just over a minute left in the game. The Bears have plenty to clean up, but at least they can make those adjustments after a win.

Mark Carman

The Roquan miracle. When there seemed like little to no path to victory 58 comes through. Fields was terrible, everybody knows it, so huge questions going forward for Matt Eberflus and company. But for now, 2-1 baby!

Greg Braggs, Jr.

Bears hard fought win without the help of Jaylon Johnson. Roquan with a HUGE bounce back game. Won the game with a INT in the last minute of the game. Justin Fields with a long way to go but at 2-1, you’ll take it! Bear Down.