Bears players were upset that Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shail had punched quarterback Caleb Williams as he was going out of bounds, leading to a scuffle with Al-Shail punching Williams.
Neither Al-Shire nor any other player was called for unnecessary roughness or any other conduct during the exchange, which took place midway through the third quarter of the Bears' game against the Texans on “Sunday Night Football.”
After the Bears were penalized for a foul start and faced a first-and-15 situation from their own 45-yard line, Williams attempted to run along the right sideline, but was pushed out of bounds by Al-Shayir before reaching the line of scrimmage.
About a dozen Bears players on the field and near the sideline rushed to surround Al'Shaire, who then jumped to his feet and punched backup running back Roshon Johnson in the face with his right hand.
The punch didn't stop the brawl, with Bears and Texans players continuing to shove each other until the referee stepped in to stop it.
“Nobody's happy out there,” NBC play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico said amid the jostling.
The Bears ended the drive with a punt a few snaps later, but were able to keep the Texans within striking distance for much of the game until Houston added a field goal early in the fourth quarter to take a nine-point lead.
Much of the Bears' offseason, preseason and the first two weeks of the regular season have revolved around Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft.
He won his NFL debut in Week 1 against the Titans despite completing 14 of 29 passes for just 93 yards, but repeating that performance against the Texans will be a tough task for the rookie point guard.
Williams had two interceptions and had only led one touchdown drive as of midway through the fourth quarter.
But Bears teammates defended their quarterback after what they deemed an unnecessary hit.
