NFL officials working the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears game missed a punch that was thrown during a scrum late in the matchup Sunday night.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams scrambled to the sideline and took a hit right before he stepped out of bounds. Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair got up from making the tackle and punched Bears running back Roschon Johnson, who wasn’t even in the play.
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Chicago Bears running back D’Andre Swift is tackled by Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair at NRG Stadium in Houston on Sept. 15, 2024. (Thomas Shea-Imagn Images)
Officials separated the players in the heated moment, but they missed the punch. The Texans should have been given a 15-yard penalty and Al-Shaair should have been ejected. But no penalties were doled out on the play.
Johnson reacted to the incident in a post on X.
“It took every bit of my soul not to thrash that boy,” the Bears player wrote.
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The Texans won the game, 19-13, thanks to their incredible defense stymying the Bears’ offense. Caleb Williams threw two interceptions – one to Kamari Lassiter and the other to Derek Stingley Jr.
Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair tackles Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams at NRG Stadium in Houston on Sept. 15, 2024. (Troy Taormina-Imagn Images)
“It’s just about winning one week at a time,” Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said after the game. “They’re not always going to be pretty, but you just have to find a way to win. That’s what I’m most proud about with our guys. No matter what happened there at the end, we found a way to win.”
Texans pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr. had 1.5 sacks in the game.
Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore is tackled by Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair in Houston on Sept. 15, 2024. (Thomas Shea-Imagn Images)
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“It’s always fun getting after any quarterback,” Anderson said. “This week we just wanted to keep putting pressure on him.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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