The Houston Texans kick off the regular season schedule Sunday with a visit from the Chicago Bears. This matchup, the Liberty White Out game in honor of first responders, will be the first taste of the NFC North and should serve as a solid test for a defense that led the NFL in takeaways during the preseason. The Bears and Texans have only played three times in NFL history, with Houston taking each game.

Games outside of the division may not seem as important early in the season, but Bill O’Brien will definitely want his team to hit the ground running after a slow start in 2015. There are three main keys to victory on Sunday.

Bears Offensive Line

The Bears are currently a work in progress, especially after a rough preseason. Jay Cutler was on his back quite a few times and was often pressured into some terrible throws. To the Bears’ credit, the offensive line held up fairly well against four-man rushes, but blitzes just caused utter havoc. The pressure on Cutler was so frequent that the Bears signed former Packers offensive guard Josh Sitton to help strengthen the line.

The Texans defensive line was on fire all preseason, putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks and notching sacks. Jadeveon Clowney played like a man possessed, Vince Wilfork stopped the run in a big way, and Christian Covington was a pressure machine. Even Devon Still got in on the action with some key tackles and a swatted pass. Now the Texans defensive line is even scarier with the news that J.J. Watt is planning on suiting up. Sure, the All-Pro probably won’t play his normal amount of snaps, but his presence alone will help free up the other rushers. Oh, and don’t forget about Whitney Mercilus finding gaps in the line. Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson made Cutler’s life a living hell with his blitzes, and Mercilus will most likely do the same thing. This could be a four or five-sack game if the Bears offensive line struggles early.

Kyle Fuller Vs. DeAndre Hopkins

The Bears defense is a far cry from the Urlacher days, but there is a bonafide star in cornerback Kyle Fuller. Entering his third year, the former Virginia Tech player has been a starter since draft day, playing in all 32 games. Fuller excels in both press and off coverage, notching interceptions in both scenarios, and he doesn’t let bigger receivers have an advantage. Two perfect examples of this are his interceptions against the Vikings and the Redskins.

When the corners are concerned, Tracy Porter may have the skins on the wall and a Super Bowl ring, but Fuller has youth and speed on his side.

DeAndre Hopkins is the proven star on Houston’s offense, so expect Fuller to match up with him in an effort to stop the acrobatic catches. Hopkins may be nigh-unstoppable, but Fuller is dangerous enough that he could force Brock Osweiler into some mistakes. The passes to Hopkins will have to be right on the money, or interceptions could put the Texans defense in a bad spot. The battle between Hopkins and Fuller will be fascinating to watch, but if it turns in Fuller’s favor, the Texans could utilize crossing routes to Braxton Miller. The Bears had major issues stopping players going across the middle.

Bears Run Defense

It’s hard to take stock in preseason games, but the Bears’ outing against Kansas City in week three did provide some insights. For example, a strong running attack like the Chiefs had troubles gaining more than two or three yards on each carry. The biggest runs of the day came from quarterback Alex Smith when he scrambled on broken plays. Andy Reid’s offense had to resort to manufactured runs like halfback screens and dump passes to the fullback.

Like Kansas City, the Texans want to run the ball well now that they have Lamar Miller in the backfield. The former Dolphins back has a similar running style to Spencer Ware, but he seems to be much faster. It seems unlikely that Miller will gain very much ground between the tackles, but he could pick up big gains on sweeps and tosses. The Bears’ ends and linebackers have some trouble keeping containment, and Miller could make them pay with his speed.

Keeping Brock Upright

Offensive lines may not be as exciting as skill positions, but they are possibly more important to a team’s survival. Brock Osweiler is a very rich quarterback, but he needs to stay healthy all 16 games, and possibly more depending on the season. Bill O’Brien has dealt with two straight seasons of utilizing four or more quarterbacks, and many of these issues spawned from offensive line play. Both Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tom Savage were injured in 2014 on devastating hits.

Let’s be honest, the Texans offensive line is a little battered at the moment. Duane Brown is returning from injury, as is Derek Newton. The Texans unofficial depth chart currently lists Brown as a starter for Sunday’s game, but it’s almost certain that he will sit out and force Chris Clark into the starting role. It’s never good to have a backup on the blindside, but Clark has played well when needed. The real issue could come from the center position.

After the injury to rookie Nick Martin, the Texans were given a choice between free agent Tony Bergstrom and second-year player Greg Mancz. Bergstrom has more experience having started 25 games in his career, but Mancz is the better choice at the moment given his familiarity with the offense. Mancz started three games for Houston in 2015.

Keeping Brock upright will be objective number one for Houston’s offensive line, but doing so will be a tough task. The Bears have some talented rushers like Lamarr Houston that could cause issues.

Prediction: Texans Win

Much like 2015, this non-divisional game will factor into the late season playoff run. Bill O’Brien’s team can’t afford to start slow and get embarrassed at home like the loss to the Chiefs. Beating the Bears will keep that from happening. Besides, the Texans defense will want to continue the dominant run that started in the preseason, especially in front of the home crowd. The offense may not score as many points against the Bears as Osweiler and his receivers get on the same page, but Clowney and the defensive line should keep this game competitive.