Chicago Bears: Oakland Raiders present intriguing matchup
By Usayd Koshul
As the Chicago Bears get ready to face the Oakland Raiders in London, Khalil Mack’s old team presents an interesting matchup.
If you’re a fan of the Chicago Bears, it’s a foregone conclusion that you think Jon Gruden is probably one of the worst head coaches in the NFL because he traded away Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears nearly a year ago.
However, this isn’t the case. Four weeks into the 2019 NFL regular season, Gruden has led the Raiders to a 2-2 record, knocking off teams like Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos. In the Raiders four games this season, Oakland has held opponents to just 418 rushing yards, which averages out to a mere 3.9 rushing yards per attempt.
What does all this mean? It means that even though the Raiders aren’t expected to be in the playoffs this season, they’re certainly a team to keep an eye on. In other words, on paper, the Raiders may not seem talented, but they’ve got what it takes to upset any team that they play.
The Bears cannot underestimate the Raiders, who feature one of the most interesting front sevens in football. It’s no secret as to what the Bears defense will do on Sunday in London, however, how the Bears offense performs against the Raiders defense is what will ultimately dictate the outcome of this game.
The Raiders secondary features players like Karl Joseph, Lamarcus Joyner, and Gareon Conley, all three of which matchup well against the Bears offensive trio of Allen Robinson, Trey Burton, and Anthony Miller.
While losing middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict is a big blow for the Raiders front seven, this is still a group that features guys like Clelin Ferell, Tahir Whitehead, Johnathan Hankins, and Benson Mayowa, who has 3.5 sacks in 2019.
In 2019, opponents have had a hard time getting after Raiders quarterback Derek Carr who’s been sacked just eight times in four games. In other words, the Bears front seven will be facing one of the more underrated but solid offensive lines in the NFL.
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On Sunday, it’s clear that Gruden will do everything he can in order to have his guys ready to beat the Bears. If the Raiders win, what they’ll have done is provide a gameplan for the rest of the NFL to follow in regards to beating the Bears. However, if the Bears win, then Matt Nagy and co. will go into the bye week with the confidence that they can beat anyone.