The hoopla and hype surrounding the Chicago Bears in London quickly dissipated once the ball was kicked off, and the team fell into a quick 17-0 deficit in the second quarter.
Despite an impressive third-quarter rally that saw the Bears score 21 points, a late touchdown dive by rookie running back Josh Jacobs gave the Raiders the lead with two minutes to go in the game.
Bears quarterback Chase Daniel’s effort to lead a winning drive fell short as he threw his second interception of the game, sealing the game as the Raiders took down the Bears 24-21 with both teams heading into the bye week.
There was much to digest from this game on both sides of the ball. Here are my five takeaways from the loss.
1. The Bears offensive line is broken
Chicago’s offensive line made an average Oakland Raiders defense look like the Steel Curtain. There was little room to run for running backs David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen as the Bears averaged just 2.5 yards per carry and gave up four sacks on the day.
Right guard Kyle Long constantly missed his assignments as rushers blew past him to get to Daniel. Left tackle Charles Leno Jr. continues to attract the attention of the officials with multiple false start penalties.
A line that had two Pro Bowl players in 2018 (Leno and left guard Cody Whitehair) is deteriorating. Offensive line coach Harry Hiestand has a tall task ahead of him during the bye week to get the line play straightened out, but it’s possible certain starters could be benched after this performance.
2. The defense finally became mortal
After four weeks of stifling ball, the Bears defense was gashed in every way by the Raiders. They failed to tally a sack against quarterback Derek Carr and Jacobs ran wild, averaging 4.7 yards per carry and scoring two touchdowns.
While there were some bright spots, such as the “Peanut Punch” by Sherrick McManis on the goal line and a fumble recovery by Khalil Mack, the unit showcased poor tackling throughout the game and gave up a season-high 398 total yards.
Games like these happen, and I fully expect defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano to make the necessary adjustments that will allow the defense to return to its elite form. But when the Bears offense is unable to generate anything for 75 percent of the game, it’s hard to win unless the defense carries it.
3. The Bears had their worst first half of football in the Matt Nagy era
One of the trends that Chicago has run into as of late has been putting together a solid first half of football, then going into the tank in the second half.
Prior to the Raiders game, the Bears had scored a total of nine points in the last two second halves they had played. Today, however, must have been opposite day as the Raiders jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the second quarter. The offense gained a total of 29 yards in the first half, and the defense let Carr and the Raiders drive up and down the field.
Nagy was able to make some necessary adjustments coming out of halftime, but the Bears have shown to be a much better team coming out of the gate.
4. WR Allen Robinson continues to amaze
One of the bright spots was the play of wide receiver Allen Robinson. Leading the team with seven catches for 97 yards and two touchdowns, the Bears WR1 put on a clinic against the Raiders secondary.
His best catches came on the Bears’ third touchdown, a 16-yard jump ball over cornerback Gareon Conley and a toe-tap grab along the sideline as he was being hit by safety Erik Harris.
No matter who the quarterback is, Robinson continues to be the top option. He’ll need to keep up the production in order for the Bears to find their footing on offense following the bye week.
5. Mitchell Trubisky is not losing his job to Chase Daniel
Former players, national and local media, and some fans believed Daniel could be the option going forward at quarterback. That notion was short-lived as the Bears backup threw two critical interceptions in the game, the first leading to the Raiders’ second touchdown of the game.
Daniel is what he is — a backup capable of playing within an offense and giving the team a chance to win, but he won’t be the reason a team wins.
Daniel had four solid drives out of 11 and did lead the team back as it scored 21 unanswered points. But he couldn’t get anything going for 75 percent of the game and turned the ball over when it mattered most on the second-to-final Chicago drive.
That being said, it’s not a given Trubisky wins that game either. Both players are flawed, and it’s entirely possible the Bears could be looking for a new passer in the offseason. But this season, Trubisky is still the best option when healthy.
