Raiders hosting Bears looking to break two-game losing skid

The first interview Pete Carroll took for an NFL head-coaching vacancy earlier this year came with the Chicago Bears. He didn’t travel to Las Vegas to meet with the Raiders until a few days later. In the meantime, the Raiders reportedly centered their search on Ben Johnson as minority owner Tom Brady began pursuing the then Detroit Lions offensive coordinator. Johnson ultimately chose the Bears with the Raiders then rushing to lock up Carroll. Seven NFL teams have new coaches this season, but no two searches were more intertwined than those happening in Chicago and Las Vegas. That adds a level of intrigue when the two of the league’s classic franchises meet for the third time since the Raiders moved to Las Vegas. The Bears have beaten the Raiders in both previous clashes, in 2021 at Allegiant and in 2023 at their own Soldier Field, but both teams are completely different now. Neither Carroll nor Johnson have gotten off to smooth starts. The Raiders have dropped two straight lopsided games to the Commanders and Chargers under Carroll since upsetting the Patriots on the road in Week 1. The Bears broke out with a Johnson-led win over the Cowboys last week but collapsed in Week 1 to the Vikings and got blown out in Week 2 against the Lions.           

Favorable matchup: Maxx Crosby vs. Bears’ offensive line

Chicago might have fielded the worst offensive line in the league last year, allowing an NFL-high 37 sacks to help derail No. 1 overall draft pick quarterback Caleb Williams’ rookie season. The unit appears improved this year with new starters at the three interior spots next to incumbents Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright on the edges. Crosby, who's lined up on both sides of the line this year, should serve as a considerable test to see how far the pair of young tackles have come. He gives the silver and black something the other side is sorely lacking — a defensive superstar capable of swinging games on his own. By contrast, the Bears’ biggest defensive standout, cornerback Jaylon Johnson, is on injured reserve with a groin issue. Crosby is coming off an offseason surgery to repair a high ankle sprain but, for the most part, doesn’t seem to have lost a step. He had a relative and rare off-night in the home-opening loss to the Chargers — though still helped cause a late fumble — but was as impactful as ever against the Patriots and Commanders with a pair of sacks and 10 quarterback pressures. This matchup could be even more tilted in the four-time Pro Bowler’s favor.    

Problematic matchup: Bears No. 1 receiver Rome Odunze vs. Raiders’ cornerbacks

Odunze and Raiders cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly used to match up with each other on a near-daily basis in practice at Fertitta Field when they were teammates at Bishop Gorman High from 2016 to 2018. Kelly, who went on to play collegiately at Stanford, was a year older than Odunze, who went on to play collegiately at Washington, and therefore might have been at an advantage early on. It may have since flipped. Odunze, whom the Bears took in the first round of the 2024 draft, is now one of the fastest-rising receiver stars in the NFL. He sits tied for the league lead with four receiving touchdowns through three games and ranks 11th with 227 receiving yards. Kelly was a standout late in training camp and had a strong outing in the win over the Patriots but has given up explosive plays in back-to-back weeks against the Chargers and Commanders. He was benched for rookie Darien Porter late last week. Carroll wouldn’t confirm who would start against the Bears, but both Kelly and Porter are likely to get snaps as the primary coverage option on Odunze. They’ll need to make big strides to keep up.

Gamebreaker: Right tackle DJ Glaze

The 2024 third-round pick of the University of Maryland might be coming off his worst performance as a professional, giving up a pair of sacks and two more quarterback hurries against the Commanders. Washington dominated Las Vegas up front all day and the problems weren’t all on Glaze, but the Raiders desperately need another offensive lineman to step up and prove reliable. Left tackle Kolton Miller is the only blocker who’s played well. Jackson Powers-Johnson was expected to emerge as the other leader of the unit this year, but he’s clearly fallen out of favor with the new coaching staff. Carroll and Co. moved him out of his preferred center position in training camp and then gave mediocre-at-best veteran free-agent signing Alex Cappa every opportunity to beat him out at right guard. Cappa got hurt, however, so Powers-Johnson still got the start in Week 1. But he suffered a concussion and wasn’t cleared to play again until Week 3, when the Raiders decided to bench him for Cappa, who struggled mightily. Still, Carroll wouldn’t commit to Powers-Johnson getting his job back against the Bears. There’s a lot of drama on the offensive line, and Glaze now looks like the likeliest second-year player — not Powers-Johnson — who could help add some much-needed stability.

THEY SAID IT  

“Maybe Ben’s setting the tone with the concepts that people are doing, or maybe he’s learning from everybody else. But there are similarities in the style of offenses that are coming around, and it’s a prolific attack when you’re really trying to get the ball down field…He’s right in the middle of that.”

-Carroll on what has impressed him about Johnson’s offenses

 “There are never going to be excuses with this group. Everybody knows we’ve got to take accountability. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

-Crosby on why the recent Raiders’ slide doesn’t feel like past season dips

 “That’s one of my goals, to leave my mark on this game and the NFL and become one of the best. I just had to take it up another notch. Not to say I wasn’t working hard my rookie year, but you’re in the midst of it your rookie year and getting used to all the different things. So, when I got used to that and understood what I needed to do to get to the next level, that’s what I did.”

-Odunze on his progression in his second professional season

 “I don’t think it’s anything we have to clean up. It’s just trusting in it, going full speed, imposing our will on people and opening lanes. I wouldn’t say it’s something we have to change. It’s just trusting our technique.”

-Glaze on the offensive line problems

Big Number: 32nd

That’s where the Raiders rank offensively in stuffed percentage, a rate of how often a running play is stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage. Las Vegas is dead last in the NFL with 33% of its runs getting stuffed. The good news is Chicago’s defense isn’t much better in the same department. The Bears grade out 26th in stuffing only 12% of opponents’ run plays. Something has to give in this matchup. One of the teams’ major weaknesses should take a significant step in being shored up. The Raiders hope it’s theirs so they can better feature No. 6 overall drafted rookie running back Ashton Jeanty, who’s averaging only 3.1 yards per carry. It hasn’t helped that Jeanty’s own blocking deficiencies have forced Las Vegas to take him out on crucial passing downs as it’s more trusting of backups Zamir White and Dylan Laube to help protect quarterback Geno Smith. Las Vegas always figured to struggle run blocking to an extent, but it’s been worse than anticipated. Last week’s additional frequent breakdowns in the passing game exacerbated the troubles. Carroll is trying to remain patient, but the Raiders badly need to show some progress against the Bears.             

Best Bet (1-2): Tre Tucker under 46.5 receiving yards

Tucker was easily the Raiders’ best player against the Commanders, leading the NFL for the week with 145 receiving yards and three touchdowns. But that’s made for an 82% increase in his receiving total for this week after it sat at over/under 25.5 before the breakout performance. Sell high. Tucker has the upside to be an elite gadget receiver and will be a major asset for the Raiders going forward, but his style is boom or bust. Two weeks ago, against the Chargers, he had three catches for 12 yards. The Commanders may not have done their due diligence in scouting Tucker going into Week 3. The Bears won’t make the same mistake. Slowing Tucker, in fact, might be a focus after what he did to the Commanders.