Behind Enemy Lines: Chicago Bears
Sports Illustrated's Raider Maven continues to go behind enemy lines on the Las Vegas Raiders' opponents for the 2021 NFL season and get the latest information on the team straight from the source covering them.
Former Raiders star linebacker Khalil Mack and the Chicago Bears are coming to Las Vegas in Week 5, but by the time the Bears head to Sin City, they might be making a quarterback change.
"The Bears finally have a quarterback and the whole city is going crazy," Gene Chamberlain said.
Chamberlain, the publisher of Sports Illustrated's BearDigest.com, has covered the Chicago Bears for nearly 30-years and recently joined Raider Maven's Editor and Publisher Hondo Carpenter on the radio. Carpenter was co-hosting with Clay Baker on the "Pritch & Clay" morning show on Raider Nation Radio (LINK TO LISTEN LIVE).
The Bears have moved on from Mitch Trubisky and signed Andy Dalton to be their starting quarterback this year. However, that's not who the fans in Windy City are going crazy for; it's rookie Justin Fields.
If the Bears struggle offensively, Chamberlain expects the Bears to make a quarterback change early in the season, and the fifth-best game to start their rookie quarterback will be in Las Vegas.
"That was mainly that fact, that fans from Chicago were going to really fill that place," Chamberlain added. "They've always been one of the better traveling groups of fans. When they go to some stadiums, you get like, 20 to 30 percent of Bears fans and so I think that had a lot to do with why."
Bears head coach Matt Nagy might be doing it the Kansas City way, sitting Fields under a veterans quarterback until he's ready, and nobody is raving about Dalton as the starting quarterback but his head coach.
The running game fell apart last year; health concerns with the running back and offensive lines were affected by Covid-19.
Starting wide receiver Allen Robinson might go a different direction next year as he seeks a significant contract extension. For this season, he will be playing under the franchise tag once again.
Chuck Pagano is out on defense, and a new defensive coordinator Sean Desai will be running the defense. Desai has been more of a quality control coach but has spent the last two seasons coaching safeties for the Bears.
The loss of Kyle Fuller at the corner leaves the Bears with their biggest weakness on defense and will be expecting the front seven to bail them out all season long.
"Mack can't do it all. …When Akeem Hicks was out, Mack was being double teamed," Chamberlain said.
Injuries in the front seven hurt the Bears last season, but they expect the entire group to be back for the start of training camp.
According to Chamberlain, he expects the Bears to win at least six games next season; if not, there will be a regime change.
The ceiling for the Bears is 10 wins if the Bears get it started offensively and if Aaron Rodgers leaves Green Bay.
As for the Raiders, they should easily pick up a win at home.
The Raiders offense should take advantage of the Bears' weaknesses on the secondary and hold off Mack and the Bears pass-rush, and defensively they should hold down the Bears offense.
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