Bear Digest

Undrafted rookie could be key to a Bears victory over Raiders in Week 4

With injuries beginning to pile up for the Chicago Bears, certain backups may have to play a crucial role in Week 4.
Pete Martuneac|
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The Chicago Bears were tasked with proving that they could simply win a game last week against the Dallas Cowboys, and they passed with flying colors by way of quarterback Caleb Williams' dominance. Entering Week 4, they must now do something far more difficult: sustain their momentum and win two in a row. Good teams make this look easy, but bad teams struggle to play more than one good game here and there throughout a season, so how the Bears perform on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders should give us a good idea of who they are.

This is a critical matchup for a young team with a new head coach like the Bears. They need to be able to carry momentum and a respectable 2-2 record into the bye, and that starts with beating Las Vegas. Here's how they can make that happen.

1. Stop Maxx Crosby

The Bears have the talent at offensive tackle to handle the four-time Pro Bowler. Indeed, right tackle Darnell Wright held Crosby in check as a rookie while playing with only one healthy shoulder. But Wright took a nasty injury last week against the Cowboys and has been listed as 'Did Not Practice' on the Bears' injury report through Thursday. If he can't play on Sunday, that means that Theo Benedet, an undrafted Canadian rookie playing his first NFL season, will likely get the start.

Benedet was actually called into action last week when Wright left the game for a few snaps, but starting and playing an entire NFL game will be a wholly new experience, and you can bet the Raiders will target this weak spot in the O-line if that's what it comes to, which could make for a long day at the office for Caleb Williams.

2. Take advantage of a split crowd

There are certain teams in the NFL that, for various reasons, don't enjoy the kind of home field advantage of the vast majority of teams, and the Raiders are one. In fact, despite playing in Las Vegas, this game is shaping up to be a friendly environment for the Chicago Bears. Football is a game of inches and NFL teams need to maximize every possible advantage, including what should be a friendly crowd.

If the Bears can get going early, especially on offense, the Bears faithful filling Allegiant Stadium should be rocking and that can offer a substantial psychological advantage to Chicago.

Chicago Bears fan
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3. Figure out the run game on both sides of the ball

Both Chicago's run game and its defense against the run have been abysmal through three weeks. D'Andre Swift, Chicago's lead running back, is averaging a paltry 3.5 yards per carry. Meanwhile, the defense is allowing nearly 140 rushing yards per game, good for seventh-worst in the league. This is a recipe for disaster against Las Vegas.

If Swift once again fails to get the ground game going, Maxx Crosby will have an absolute field day against Caleb Williams and the passing offense will sputter. As for the defense, rookie running back Ashton Jeanty hasn't lit up the stat sheet yet, mostly due to poor blocking from his O-line, but a feeble run defense like Chicago has been thus far could be his get-right game. Letting Jeanty have his 'arrival' against the Bears will be devastating to their chances to win.

Final prediction: Bears win 34-20

This is tough to predict because a lot is riding on the health of Darnell Wright. If he plays, we've seen that he can handle Crosby even when injured. But if Theo Benedet or Ozzy Trapilo get the start, Crosby will likely be a game-wrecker, and that will throw the entire offense out of sync.

Since Wright did get back into last week's game after the injury, I'm assuming that he's only being held out of practice just so he doesn't aggravate his elbow. If that's the case and he gets the start, then I'm confident in Chicago being able to carry their momentum over from last week and score another big win as they head into the bye and prepare for an important revenge game against the Washington Commanders.

Darnell Wrigh
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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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