The Houston Texans defense returns 10 of its 11 starters from 2015 and stormed through a 4-0 preseason that included a franchise-record 12 takeaways. Those are overall problems for a struggling Bears offense that wobbled through a 1-3 preseason scoring all of 50 total points (12.5 per game) and not all that many of those scored by the No. 1 Chicago offense.
But within that overall looms a specific, ominous matchup issue that singularly can dictate the course of Sunday’s season opener. It lies in what Bears Hall of Fame defensive end Richard Dent has long called his “Rule of 3,” that every great defense has three pass rushers of menace.