The Chicago Bears pulled off an impressive 20-9 upset win against the Las Vegas Raiders, which gave us a glimpse at what this Bears team can be this season.
This was a team win in every sense of the word. The defense dominated one of the NFL’s best offenses holding them to just 9 points, sacking Derek Carr three times and forcing a turnover. The offense did what it had to do to win the game, relying on a heavy dose of the run game and rookie Justin Fields making plays when he needed to. Cairo Santos came up clutch in the kicking game with two big field goals. The result was a convincing win that gives this team some motivation heading into a Week 6 showdown against the Packers.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what we saw during the game and how we graded the Bears in this win.
Offense: B-
AP Photo/David Becker
While the Bears offense certainly wasn’t flashy, they did enough for the team to win, with plenty of help from their dominant defense. Chicago established its offensive identity, which starts with pounding the football on the ground. While they were without David Montgomery, who is sidelined with a knee sprain, the run game was in more than capable hands with Damien Williams and rookie Khalil Herbert. Williams and Herbert combined for 34 carries and 139 rushing yards and a touchdown in the win, which helped the Bears offense sustain some long drives and find the end zone twice.
Rookie quarterback Justin Fields took another step in his development, although it wasn’t as a result of a multi-touchdown game. Fields was a warrior out there for Chicago, as he took a couple of brutal hits, including a shot to the ribs and hyperextending his knee and returning three plays later. Fields wasn’t particularly flashy, but he made some clutch plays when he needed to, including a 13-yard completion to Darnell Mooney on 3rd-and-12 in the fourth quarter to keep the drive going and setting up a field goal. The Bears didn’t ask Fields to do much in this game, but there will come a time when they need him to open things up.
While there were some encouraging signs on offense, Chicago also opened the second half with two consecutive three-and-outs, going scoreless on their first three drives of the second half. They’re going to need to score more points moving forward, as the defense can’t always be expected to hold some high-powered offenses to under 20 points. The Bears offense did what they had to do in order for them to win the game. But that’s going to change with every game, especially this week against the Packers, where Chicago’s going to have to do a lot more on offense if they hope to upset Green Bay.
Defense: A
AP Photo/David Becker
The Bears defense showed up in full force against the Raiders — and without a key starter in defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, who was sidelined with a groin injury. Like the offense, Chicago’s defense has established an identity of its own — a tough, physical unit that’s going to make it difficult on opposing offenses to score points. The Bears held a Raiders offense averaging 26 points per game to just 9 points — and they held them to just 3 points for the first 51 minutes of the game.
Khalil Mack finally got his revenge against his former team, and he reminded the Raiders why trading him was a mistake. Mack had one sack against former teammate Derek Carr, and he should’ve had another after sacking Carr on a failed two-point conversion, but it didn’t count.
With concerns in the secondary, it was impressive the Bears were able to contain a high-powered Raiders offense. That starts with the pass rush, which got to Carr three times — technically, four times — and left Carr and even his receivers rattled.
While Chicago’s defense has been bend don’t break at times this season, they’ve also come up with some big stops, which was true in Sunday’s win against the Raiders. The Bears are going to need a strong pass rush if they hope to contain Aaron Rodgers and the Packers next Sunday.
Special teams: A
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It sure is reassuring knowing your stomach isn’t in knots when a Bears kicker steps up for some clutch fields goals. But that’s what Chicago has found in Cairo Santos, who has been one of the most clutch players on the roster dating back to last season. Santos connected on two field goals — both from 46 yards out — late in the fourth quarter to preserve the win. Santos has now connected on 34 straight field goals dating back to Week 3 of the 2020 season, which is the longest active streak in the NFL.
Elsewhere, new return man Jakeem Grant, who Miami traded to Chicago, made his debut for the Bears. And if there’s one thing that can be said about Grant, it’s that he’s a confident man. Grant returned both kickoffs and punts for Chicago, and he did a decent job. While he flashed his dynamic speed and return ability, he also made some mental errors, including bringing out a punt return 8 yards deep in the end zone rather than taking the touchback.
Coaching: B+
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You really have to give it up for defensive coordinator Sean Desai, who’s taken a Bears defense that got blasted by the Rams in Week 1 and made them into a tough, physical group that just held one of the league’s top-scoring offenses to 9 points. Desai has done a lot with this defense, including bolstering the pass rush and even their weakest group, the secondary, had their moments against the Raiders.
While Chicago’s offense left plenty to build upon in the coming weeks, there’s been a fundamental change since offensive coordinator Bill Lazor took over play-calling duties last week against the Lions. The Bears offense has found an identity — much like last season — which starts with running the football. Lazor hasn’t asked his rookie quarterback to do too much at this point in the season, although there will be times when he calls upon Fields to step up, and the expectation is he will.
The best thing Matt Nagy has done in the last three years is handing over play calling to Lazor and allowed himself to just serve as the head coach, and the Bears are 2-0 since.
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