In spite of the offense being completely flat following an offseason full of signings and much anticipation, the Chicago Bears pulled off a thrilling comeback victory over the Tennessee Titans in Week 1.

Rome Odunze, the team’s rookie selection at number nine overall, had a mild MCL sprain and was out in Week 1, but the team received positive word regarding his status going into Week 2.

Despite the MCL sprain, there is hope that Odunze will participate in the Sunday Night Football match against the Houston Texans, according to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report.

Sources: There’s optimism this morning that #Bears rookie WR Rome Odunze (knee) will play in tonight’s Sunday Night Football game vs. the #Texans.

The No. 9 overall pick suffered a low-grade MCL sprain in Week 1 vs Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/FYhYrPwW8D

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) September 15, 2024

In his debut, Odunze only grabbed one pass for 11 yards on a deflection. If he can suit up for primetime, he will be trying to have a far bigger impact.

Tennessee utterly shut down the Bears offense, which managed only 148 yards overall. Caleb Williams, the rookie number one selection, completed just 14 of 29 passes for 93 yards.

The Titans game didn’t live up to the high-octane, uptempo offense that Bears fans had imagined throughout the offseason, centered around an explosive trio of wideouts in Odunze, D.J. Moore, and Keenan Allen, as well as an exciting dual-threat rookie quarterback.

Chicago will have to fry a lot more than it did against Tennessee if it is to defeat the Texans and their own potent offense.

Given how early in the season and how inexperienced he is, many people assumed that Odunze would miss at least a game or two after learning of his injury. However, the squad is thrilled that he is expected to play.

One adjustment to the offensive that the Bears must make in Week 2

If the Chicago Bears hope to see Caleb Williams succeed as a rookie, they must establish a run game. Even though D’Andre Swift’s debut was disappointing, the team’s run game was even worse, as he led the way with 10 carries for 30 yards.

Although the Bears won’t play against a club that features Jeffery Simmons and T’Vondre Sweat every week, this still needs to get better because most teams have a strong duo of defenders.

Swift can have a significant impact on the passing game, which is why the team signed him, but that wasn’t the case in week one. Though it was assumed that Khalil Herbert would take over some of those responsibilities, he was never projected to be a tremendous rusher between the tackles. He carried only twice.

In their matchup with the Houston Texans, the Chicago Bears must alter their running back lineup.

In between the tackles, Herbert outruns Swift in his running and has comparable explosiveness. Although he should play more, Swift has far greater value in the passing game and his distribution of carries should be more evenly distributed.

Beyond that, the Bears ought to try to activate Roschon Johnson. Now that he’s back to full health, he is the most potent player in the running back room. Johnson can provide them with the improved running between the tackles they need to find. Furthermore, he could substitute as a goal line back.

Velus Jones Jr., who did contribute to the offense in Week 1, should be Johnson’s apprentice. However, he may be sidelined for Week 2 due to a string of special teams errors. They have enough speedy backs who can catch between Swift and Herbert; at this juncture, they really need Johnson’s size.

In week two against the Houston Texans, the Bears’ rushing assault might benefit greatly from these two adjustments.