Justin Fields moved to 2-1 as a starter on Sunday, as he and his Chicago Bears defeated the Las Vegas Raiders in Sin City, 20-9. It wasn’t pretty by any means, but the Bears were able to establish some consistency on offense while the Raiders were unable to do so.
Derek Carr and Co. were out of sync the entire afternoon. Some of Carr’s throws were off target, but his receivers also suffered through a couple of drops. Box scores usually don’t tell the story of games, but in this case, it somewhat 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 one touchdown while the Bears racked up 143 yards on the ground. The Chicago defense stood its ground all game and the Bears were able to ultimately walk away with a win.
Why the Bears won
The Bears won because of solid play on both sides of the ball, and Fields and the offense deserves credit. Unlike the Raiders, they were able to put together multiple long drives which not only scored points, but also took time off the clock. It wasn’t flashy by any means and it’s fair to want more than just 252 yards of total offense, but Chicago won the time of possession battle and did not turn the ball over once.
Fields orchestrated a 10-play, 72-yard drive at the beginning of the second quarter which resulted in a Jesper Horsted touchdown; and on the very next possession, Fields led a 16-play, 86-yard drive which resulted in another touchdown. Damien Williams was seemingly forgotten by some after he took advantage of the COVID-19 opt out last year, but this is a legitimate starting running back who really should have won Super Bowl MVP during his time with the Chiefs. He rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries in relief of the injured David Montgomery. When it comes to Chicago’s backfield, however, the real story was Khalil Herbert.
The rookie came into this game with just three carries, but toted the rock 18 times for 75 yards on Sunday. He ran well, and helped the Bears wrap things up. Overall, it was a good team win despite this contest being a low-scoring affair which lacked any kind of fireworks.
Why the Raiders lost
The Raiders offense was not on the same page all day. Carr was leading the league in passing through the first few games, but threw for just 196 yards against the Los Angeles Chargers last week and then just 206 yards this week. It also marked the first time all season where Carr didn’t account for a touchdown. Josh Jacobs was held to just 3.2 yards per carry and the wide receiving corps didn’t produce enough chunk plays. Hunter Renfrow led the group with 56 yards on six catches.
Penalties were also a huge factor in this game. The Raiders recorded 10 for a total of 82 yards. Even on what could have been the potential game-tying drive, Brandon Parker had a false start on third-and-12 which backed the offense up another five yards. I think everyone understands this Raiders team is much better than what they showed this week. But after two straight losses now, fans just have to hope this isn’t a trend that will continue.
Turning point
The Raiders had a real shot to send this game to overtime at the very least. Down eight points with 2:45 remaining in the fourth quarter, Carr jogged his offense onto the field. After the aforementioned false start penalty, the Raiders were faced with a third-and-17. A 12-yard completion to Renfrow got them into a fourth-and-5 situation, but Carr overthrew Bryan Edwards in the middle of the field. It looked like the two were on the same page when it came to where the ball was going. Carr tried to lead Edwards upfield and he changed direction that way as well. Carr just overthrew him, which ultimately gave the Bears the win.
Play of the game
DeAndre Houston-Carson was playing deep in coverage on third down in the third quarter and made a break on the ball when Carr aimed to hit Zay Jones near the right sideline. It looked like Houston-Carson was going to make a big hit or record a PBU, but instead he came up with possession! Great instincts, great ball skills great play.
What’s next
The Bears return to Chicago next week to host Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, who are coming off of an emotional overtime victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Raiders hit the road next week for a divisional matchup against the Denver Broncos. They just suffered their second straight loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
