It feels right that early on in his reign as coach of the Houston Texans, Lovie Smith will head back to the city he called home for nine years.
Houston will head to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Bears in Week 3 in a game that Smith has called "special."
Smith's first head coaching job was in the Windy City. He joined Chicago in 2004 after a three-year stint as the defensive coordinator of the St Louis Rams. During his time with the Bears, Smith went 81-63, had five winning seasons, won NFL Coach of the Year and, in 2006, he led the Bears to their first Super Bowl since 1985.
© Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
© Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports
"Lot of great memories, great friends, we still have a place there in Chicago," Smith said when discussing the upcoming schedule. "It's gonna always be a part of our home. So, that'll be a special game for us. I also like that we're playing in September as opposed to November, I can do without that cold a little bit."
There is no timetable on when John Metchie III will return to play, but the Houston Texans are expecting to have their rookie wide receiver on the field at some point during the season.
The Houston Texans held their first day of rookie minicamp with coach Lovie Smith at the helms.
Former A&M top receiver Quartney Davis will try to make the Houston Texans' 90-man roster
Follow along with TexansDaily as we keep you up to date with all firings and hiring in the NFL
This is how we predict all 17 games will go for the Houston Texans this upcoming season.
The Houston Texans have locked up their top draft pick with a fully-guaranteed deal
The Houston Texans will play in just one marquee time slot this upcoming season.
Mark your calendar for a reunion game that will be must-watch; the matchup between the Cleveland Browns and the Texans at NRG Stadium.
It may have been colder than he'd like, but that didn't stop Smith from building a formidable defense and coaching some of the game's greats, including Brian Urlacher, Devin Hester and Lance Briggs.
© Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
© Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
© Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Looking forward, Smith's less star-studded new team is 4-1 all-time against the Bears.
The last time these teams met was in 2020, with Chicago winning 36-7. The Texans were in turmoil then, led by interim head coach Romeo Crennel, and featuring quarterback Deshaun Watson and defensive end J.J. Watt in what would be one of their final games for Houston.
Anthony Wood is a sportswriter covering the NFL for SI's Fan Nation. A Canterbury Christ Church University graduate, Anthony had also appeared as a Houston Texans insider on various radio stations in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Follow him on Twitter @arwoodNFL.