CANTON, Ohio — The Bears led the Texans 21-17 in the third quarter of the Hall of Fame game, their preseason opener, Thursday when the rest of it was called off because of lightning and heavy rain.
The Bears were without quarterback Caleb Williams and the rest of their starters. The Texans held out Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud and their starters as well.
Officials cleared the field and seats with 3:31 left in the third quarter and waited 36 minutes before calling off the remained of the game.
Tyson Bagent started at quarterback, but played just one possession and completed 2 of 3 passes for 16 yards. The Bears played No. 3 quarterback Brett Rypien from there until midway through the third quarter, and he finished 11 of 15 for 166 yards with three touchdown passes and no turnovers for a 148.9 passer rating. Bagent was the backup last season, but the Bears list him and Rypien as equals on their depth chart as they compete.
The Bears trailed 10-0 early, but rallied to take a 21-17 lead with 11:39 left in the third quarter when Rypien hit Collin Johnson for nine-yard touchdown pass.
Undrafted rookie Austin Reed took over at quarterback with 9:51 left in the third quarter to finish the game.
Bears coach Matt Eberflus said he hopes to get Williams 45-65 snaps in preseason games, setting up the possibility that he’ll play significantly Aug. 10 at the Bills. The team’s third preseason game comes right after a joint practice with the Bengals, and it’s unclear whether the Bears would want Williams to play in the fourth game since many teams use that as a chance to evaluate players fighting for roster spots.