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Justin Fields rose to 2-1 as a starter on Sunday, as he and his Chicago Bears beat the Las Vegas Raiders in Sin City, 20-9. It wasn’t pretty at all, but the Bears managed to establish some consistency on offense while the Raiders couldn’t.
Derek Carr and Co. weren’t in sync all afternoon. Some of Carr’s throws were off target, but his receivers suffered a few drops as well. Box scores usually don’t tell the story of the games, but in this case, it does. Carr threw for just 206 yards and one interception while star tight end Darren Waller caught just four of his eight targets for 45 yards. Fields completed 12 of 20 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown while the Bears racked up 143 rushing yards. The Chicago defense held on throughout the game and the Bears were finally able to secure a victory.
Why the Bears won
The Bears won thanks to solid play on both sides of the ball, and Fields and offense deserve credit. Unlike the Raiders, they were able to organize several long rides which not only scored points but also saved time. It was by no means flashy and it’s fair to want more than 252 total attacking yards, but Chicago won the battle for possession time and didn’t return the ball an one time.
Fields orchestrated a 10-play, 72-yard run early in the second quarter that resulted in a Jesper Horsted touchdown; and on the next possession, Fields led a 16-play, 86-yard practice that resulted in another touchdown. Damien Williams has apparently been overlooked by some after enjoying the COVID-19 exclusion last year, but he’s a legitimate running back who really should have won the Super Bowl MVP title during his time. stay with the Chiefs. He ran for 64 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries in relief from injured David Montgomery. As for the Chicago backfield, however, the real story was Khalil Herbert.
The rookie entered that game with just three carries, but hit the rock 18 times for 75 yards on Sunday. He ran well and helped the Bears wrap up. All in all, it was a good team win despite this being a low scoring affair that lacked any kind of fireworks.
Why the Raiders lost
The Raiders offense was not on the same page all day. Carr led the league in the opening games, but threw just 196 yards against the Los Angeles Chargers last week, then just 206 yards this week. It was also the first time in the entire season that Carr hadn’t scored a touchdown. Josh Jacobs was limited to just 3.2 yards per carry and the wide receiving body didn’t produce enough big chunks. Hunter Renfrow led the group with 56 yards on six catches.
Penalties were also a big factor in this game. The Raiders recorded 10 for a total of 82 yards. Even on what might have been the game’s equalizer potential, Brandon Parker had a false start on third and 12th, which bolstered the offense for five more yards. I think everyone understands that this Raiders squad is a lot better than what they have shown this week. But after two straight losses now, fans can only hope this isn’t a trend that will continue.
Turning point
The Raiders had a real chance to send this game into overtime at the very least. Down eight points with 2:45 left in the fourth quarter, Carr pushed his offense into the field. After the aforementioned false start penalty, the Raiders were faced with a third and 17. A 12-yard completion at Renfrow put them in a fourth-and-five situation, but Carr knocked down Bryan Edwards in midfield. It seemed the two were on the same page when it came to where the ball was going. Carr tried to lead Edwards to the top and he changed directions as well. Carr just knocked him down, which ultimately gave the Bears the win.
Game play
DeAndre Houston-Carson was playing deep on the third down in the third quarter and paused on the ball when Carr aimed to hit Zay Jones near the straight touchline. It looked like Houston-Carson was going to make a big hit or record a SEB, but instead it came with possession! Great instincts, great ball skills, great play.
And after
The Bears return to Chicago next week to host Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, who just picked up an emotional overtime victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Raiders hit the road next week for a divisional clash against the Denver Broncos. They just suffered their second straight loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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