FSM Essential Recap: Week 5 - Raiders vs Bears

FSM Essential Recap: Week 5 – Raiders vs Bears

Las Vegas Raiders (3-2) | Chicago Bears (3-2)

The Raiders fall at home to the Chicago Bears 20-9.

Raiders vs Bears — *Photo Credit: Las Vegas Raiders*

The Las Vegas Raiders returned to Allegiant Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately for Raider Nation, the Silver and Black went down for the second straight week as they lost at home to the visiting Chicago Bears 20-9.

For the second straight week, the offense couldn’t get much going all game against the Bears’ defense. For a team that started the season on fire, Las Vegas has cooled off the last two weeks. The Raiders had 259 total yards; 188 of those came in the air. That’s underwhelming considering the Raiders came into the week leading the league in passing yards per game and showed how much they struggled passing the ball today.

This wasn’t going to be an easy matchup for Las Vegas, as the Bears have been solid across the board on defense. Week after week, the Raiders found ways to move the ball, but that changed today at Allegiant Stadium.

Another slow start put the Raiders in a hole they weren’t able to climb out of.

The Raiders have struggled getting the game started hot and heavy, as they have not scored on an opening drive all season. The team made some changes up front hoping to improve the offensive line and get better protection for quarterback Derek Carr while also providing running lanes for their running backs, led by Josh Jacobs.

Moving rookie right tackle Alex Leatherwood inside to right guard and starting backup tackle Brandon Parker at right tackle was a move made hoping to get things going up front in the trenches. Matched up against one of the stingiest defensive fronts in the NFL, it was a tall order to ask. But that’s life in the National Football League. You have to be ready and able to adapt and execute.

The Bears were able to run the ball effectively against the Raiders to the tune of 143 yards on the ground. Without their starting running back David Montgomery, the Bears turned to rookie 6th-round draft pick out of Virginia Tech, Khalil Herbert who rattled off 75 yards in impressive fashion. Helped by backup Damien Williams, who had 64 yards and a touchdown, the Bears were able to win the rushing battle as the Raiders only had 71 yards on the ground.

Rookie quarterback Justin Fields threw for a touchdown and finished the game with a 91.9 quarterback rating.

Not much improved for the Raiders in the second half.

After halftime, the Raiders got the ball and the sense was the team made adjustments and were going to come out swinging. They had to put energy back in the crowd and put points on the board. The Raiders went three and out on the first drive and threw an interception on their second.

While the offense struggled to find their footing, the defense of the Silver and Black was steady and put in their best effort to help keep the team in the game. The pass rush of the Raiders got two sacks from Yannick Ngakoue and prevented the mobile Fields from breaking the pocket and making plays with his legs. Linebacker Denzel Perryman led the team with 12 tackles and safety/linebacker hybrid Johnathan Abram made several good tackles including a thunderous hit on a run by Fields that sent the rookie to the sidelines for evaluation.

One of the players who struggled on the defensive side was cornerback Amik Robertson, who got the start after injuries to Trayvon Mullen and Damon Arnette. The Bears made sure they took advantage of the matchup. Several passes were made on Robertson’s side including a touchdown pass in the second quarter from Fields to tight end Jesper Horsted, who made the grab right over the top of Robertson. These are the growing pains of a young player, and today Robertson learned a lesson.

With the game being more of a defensive struggle, neither team was able to get their offense going how they wanted. A sluggish outing put the Raiders behind the eight ball going into the fourth quarter down 14-3.

In what looked like might be another comeback, the Raiders scored on a 1-yard touchdown rush by Jacobs, which brought the team within five points. Instead of going for the extra point to make the score 14-10, head coach Jon Gruden elected to go for two points but was unsuccessful as former Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack sacked Carr. A couple of field goals extended the lead and sealed the victory for the Bears 20-9. From the Windy City to the deserts, the Bears came in and earned a hard-fought victory over a Raiders team that has struggled to find their mojo after such a hot start.

The Raiders will now head back on the road to take on long-time rival the Denver Broncos at Empower Field in another AFC West showdown.

Two losses in a row is a tough pill to swallow, but moving onto the next game to get things back on track is what’s important for this team. They now face another AFC West rival, the Denver Broncos, in Denver next Sunday. Like the Raiders, the Broncos got off to a 3-0 start and have dropped their last two games, ironically, against the Ravens and Steelers, both teams defeated by the Raiders earlier this season.

The Raiders need to figure out the issue with the offense and the slow start to their games. The adjustments on the offensive line have to help in pass protection and run blocking for the team to find success moving forward. While he was among the team leaders in targets, the Raiders have to develop ways for star tight end Darren Waller to be more involved with the offense and create more openings for him to make plays. Yes, he did have a few drops this game, but there are times when the Raiders go far too long without mentioning his name, and for a player of his skill set, that should never be the case.

A bitter feud, both teams are in need of a win and trying to keep up with a tough division. The Raiders and Broncos will have much on the line next week and should be fun to watch.

Next week the Raiders will travel to the Mile High City to take on the Broncos. The kickoff is scheduled for 1:10 and can be seen on CBS.

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-Kalani Lua – Franchise Sports Media

Follow Kalani on Twitter @klua11

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