Raiders-Bears preview: Ben Johnson bowl comes to Allegiant Stadium
The Raiders followed up a disappointing home loss to the Chargers in Week 2 with an ugly showing on the road against the Commanders in Week 3.
The team doesn’t want to fall flat a third week in a row. The Raiders get a chance to bounce back in their first Sunday afternoon home game of the season against the Bears.
Game information
■ Who: Bears at Raiders
■ When: 1:25 p.m. Sunday
■ Where: Allegiant Stadium
■ TV: CBS (Spero Dedes, play-by-play; Adam Archuleta, analyst)
■ Radio: KRLV-AM (920), KOMP-FM (92.3) (Jason Horowitz, play-by-play; Kirk Morrison, analyst)
■ Line: Raiders -1, total 47
Series history
The Bears have won three of the last four meetings between the two teams. They lead 9-8 in the all-time series, which dates back to 1972.
The Raiders at least got out to a quick start. They won all three of their matchups with Chicago in the 1970s.
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Last meeting
Oct. 22, 2023 — The Raiders’ last trip to the Chicago was a disaster.
Backup quarterback Brian Hoyer, who started in place of an injured Jimmy Garoppolo, threw two interceptions in a 30-12 loss. The Bears won despite starting a backup quarterback themselves in Tyson Bagent.
Rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell relieved Hoyer in the fourth quarter and threw a touchdown pass with 1:10 remaining to make the final score look a little better. The Raiders, who entered the game 3-3, only had 235 total yards.
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Bold predictions
1. The Raiders will force more than one turnover for the first time this season. They had exactly one takeaway in each of their first three games.
2. Tight end Ian Thomas, who doesn’t have a catch this season, will have at least three receptions.
3. Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze, a Bishop Gorman alum, will catch at least one touchdown pass in his first pro game at Allegiant Stadium.
Storyline
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was the hottest coaching prospect on the market in the offseason. He was a candidate for both the Bears and Raiders openings, but chose to go to Chicago.
Now he’ll visit Allegiant Stadium as an opponent. His counterpart on the other sideline will be Pete Carroll, who interviewed with the Bears before being hired by the Raiders.
Both coaches are off to 1-2 starts with their new teams. But Chicago is likely feeling much better about its outlook than the Raiders this week.
The Bears dropped their first two games, but second-year quarterback Caleb Williams threw for 298 yards and four touchdowns in the team’s Week 3 win over the Cowboys. Optimism surrounding the No. 1 overall pick in 2024 is high.
Meanwhile, the positive energy the Raiders created with a Week 1 road win over the Patriots has dissipated somewhat during a two-game losing streak. This is a massive opportunity for the team to get back on track before traveling to face Indianapolis (3-0) in Week 5.
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When the Bears have the ball
Johnson’s offense in Chicago had little resemblance to the creative attack he authored in Detroit for two weeks. Then came Williams’ breakout performance in Week 3.
Time will tell if that was a blip or a sign of things to come.
Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, for his part, sees a foundation being laid.
“I think when you watch in Detroit, that’s years of their installation, volume, probably a lot more, but you can see it’s building from week to week (in Chicago),” Graham said. “So, (Johnson) has a good system, and he knows what he’s doing, and that’s been proven. So, I’m sure he’s going to add on a little bit more each week. So you see layers of it getting added on as you go.”
Johnson’s success will ultimately come down to how Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner at USC, performs. Carroll, who coached the Trojans from 2001 to 2009, called him “a very dangerous player to play against.”
“I watched him a lot (at USC) and watched him a lot (when I interviewed for the Bears) job as well and had a chance to check him out,” Carroll said. “He’s a very, very special athlete and he’s got great sense, great awareness about throwing the football and running the football. … He’s really good at (scrambling) and throws really well on the run, too.”
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When the Raiders have the ball
The Raiders’ struggling offensive line has received a lot of attention this week and for good reason. It just hasn’t been good enough.
But they aren’t the only ones that need to step up. The Raiders need to find a way to get rookie running back Ashton Jeanty going. That should make their play-action passing game more effective.
The team could also use Jeanty more as a receiver, though he’s often come out of the game in passing situations in recent weeks. The 21-year-old has five catches for three yards through three games.
“I would like to see Ashton have 75 catches,” said offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said, though he added quarterback Geno Smith has been good about distributing the ball to different targets.
Second-year tight end Brock Bowers, after a record-setting rookie season, has also been slowed by a knee injury he suffered in Week 1. The offense should improve once he gets closer to full strength.
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Friday’s injury report
■ Raiders: OUT: TE Michael Mayer (concussion). QUESTIONABLE: CB Decamerion Richardson (hamstring). FULL: TE Brock Bowers (knee), S Jeremy Chinn (pectoral).
■ Bears: OUT: LB T.J. Edwards (hamstring), DL Grady Jarrett (knee), OL Darnell Wright (elbow). QUESTIONABLE: DB Kyler Gordon (hamstring), TE Colston Loveland (hip), RB D’Andre Swift (hip). FULL: LB D’Marco Jackson (hamstring), DB Jaylon Jones (hamstring), TE Cole Kmet (groin).
The pick
Raiders 27, Bears 23
Adam Hill Las Vegas Review-Journal
