GRADING THE BEARS
QUARTERBACK
C
Justin Fields (12-for-20, 111 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs, 91.9 rating) gutted out a tough game. Fields threw a two-yard pass to TE Jesper Jorsted for his first NFL TD pass. His best throw might have been a dart to Allen Robinson while taking a hit for a 12-yard gain on thirdand-seven — it led to Damien Williams’ TD run that gave the Bears a 14-3 lead.
RUNNING BACKS
A-
With room to run, Damien Williams (16 carries, 64 yards, 1 TD) and rookie Khalil Herbert (18-75) were an effective replacement for David Montgomery. Williams was stopped twice on third-and-one in the third quarter, forcing the Bears to punt. But Herbert, Williams and the run game did its job.
RECEIVERS
C
Allen Robinson (4 catches, 32 yards) and Darnell Mooney (3-35) had modest numbers but came up with big plays to clinch it — Robinson drew a PI penalty, Mooney caught a 13-yard pass on third-and-12. Horsted made a nice play vs. CB Amik Robertson for a two-yard TD. Cole Kmet (222) had a 14-yard catch.
OFFENSIVE LINE
B
Interior of the line — center Sam Mustipher and guards Cody Whitehair and James Daniels — was excellent as the Bears rushed for 143 yards on 37 carries. Germain Ifedi suffered a leg injury in the second quarter and was replaced by Elijah Wilkinson. Alex Bars was effective as an extra tackle, including on Williams’ fouryard TD.
DEFENSIVE LINE
A
Eddie Goldman was better, particularly with penetration when Josh Jacobs was stuffed on fourth-and-one. The Bears’ line covered for Akiem Hicks’ absence, as the Raiders rushed for 71 yards on 22 carries. Angelo Blackson had a pressure that led to DeAndre Houston-Carson’s INT. Bilal Nichols had a TFL.
LINEBACKERS
A
Khalil Mack and Roquan Smith lived up to their playmaking reputations. They combined to stop Josh Jacobs on a fourth-and-one. Mack added two sacks — one on a two-point attempt. Smith had a pass breakup in the end zone and had a questionable PI penalty. Trevis Gipson had another sack.
SECONDARY
A
Raiders quarterback David Carr continually looked deep and checked down as the Bears’ secondary was solid most of the way, with help from Bryan Edwards’ drop of a 40-plus pass play after getting behind Jaylon Johnson. DeAndre Houston-Carson had a nifty interception of Carr on a downfield throw. Deon Bush had a key pass breakup.
SPECIAL TEAMS
B+
Cairo Santos was clutch with two 46yard field goals in the final 2:45 that gave the Bears a 20-9 lead. He now has converted 34 consecutive field goals. Jakeem Grant returned kickoffs for 32 and 24 yards and a punt for 21 yards. Pat O’Donnell averaged 45.0 net yards per punt and had two inside the 20-yard line.
COACHING
A
Matt Nagy ended a good week with a big win, allowing the Raiders to contribute to their demise. Fields wasn’t great, but the emphasis on protection and the run game worked well against a better defense than the Lions. Sean Desai’s game plan stifled the run without giving up the big play.