Chicago Bears: 3 keys to defeating the Las Vegas Raiders

The Chicago Bears face a great matchup this weekend when they travel to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders. I believe this matchup has immense consequences for the Chicago Bears and the trajectory of their season regardless of the outcome but who will actually win?

The Chicago Bears face a huge litmus test in their week 5 matchup vs the Raiders.

Generally, when the Bears found themselves in games like this, it’d be up to the defense to do all the heavy lifting. However, Justin Fields adds an element of uncertainty as the offense may have the potential to actually complement the efforts of their defense. The Raiders have an interesting defensive unit and could make life difficult for Justin but the same could be said about what the Chicago Bears defense has the potential to do to Derek Carr.

Ultimately, I believe the Chicago Bears do actually have a path to victory this weekend and what follows here are three major keys to a Bears victory along with my final score prediction for this weekend.

Key One: 

The Chicago Bears’ Defensive Line must outperform the Vegas defensive front.

The Chicago Bears are currently leading the NFL in sacks and have both their edge rushers (Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn) in the top 10 for individual sack getters. On top of that, they have Trevis Gipson spelling for them when needed who is flashing his own potential as a game-wrecking outside linebacker in this league.

They should be licking their chops with a matchup against a Raiders offensive line that is very different from the one they saw in London two years ago. Additionally, their rookie tackle, Alex Leatherwood has struggled to adjust to the NFL – so much so, that the Raiders have been working him out at guard positions ahead of this week’s matchup.

Additionally, the Raiders haven’t faced a front as lethal as the Chicago Bears this year. Their four regular-season matchups so far this season were against the Ravens, Steelers, Dolphins, and Chargers who rank 12th, 22nd, 27th, and 16th in sacks, respectively.

The Raiders also have a good defensive line, spearheaded by Maxx Crosby but he lacks the support to disrupt the game on his own the same way Myles Garret was able to do two weeks ago. Crosby is tied for second in pressures and with Justin Fields’ playing style being more play action. Under center, it’ll be crucial for the Bears’ guards to protect Crosby’s side of the line.

However, since the only real threat on their line is Crosby, I believe the Bears can make schematic adjustments to either move the pocket away from Crosby’s side, incorporate screens, and utilize more read-option to freeze him in space if he becomes a consistent presence in the backfield. This is a luxury I don’t believe the Raiders have against the Bears’ defensive line.

Advantage: Chicago Bears