The Chicago Bears (3-1) are headed across the pond to play the Oakland Raiders (2-2) on Sunday, where there are plenty of storylines to be had.
OLB Khalil Mack and K Eddy Pineiro will both face off against the team that traded them to Chicago. Not to mention the Bears will have to deal with the struggle of playing Oakland without starting QB Mitch Trubisky and possibly DL Akiem Hicks and LB Roquan Smith.
But the Bears are coming off an impressive 16-6 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, where they proved that their defense can win games. But the Bears will face a new challenge this week: International games.
Here are five storylines to watch as the Bears face the Raiders on Sunday:
1. Just how dominant will OLB Khalil Mack be against his former team?
While Khalil Mack insists that Sunday’s game against the Raiders is just another game, it’s clear that it’s not. When the Bears take the field against the Raiders, it will mark the first time Mack gets a shot at his former team after they traded him last September.
So it’s not just another game for Mack. Not even close. But even if it was, Mack is averaging one sack and one forced fumble in each of Chicago’s first four games. So what will Mack’s performance look like when he has something more to play for?
The Raiders will be sure to do their due diligence on keeping Mack as far away from QB Derek Carr as possible, but even that might not be enough. Then again, even if the Raiders manage to contain Mack to his average one sack and one forced fumble, they’ll have to worry about the rest of Chicago’s dominant defense.
2. Can QB Chase Daniel continue to run the offense efficiently?
With starting QB Mitch Trubisky unlikely to play Sunday, backup QB Chase Daniel will get his first start of the season against the Raiders. When Daniel replaced Trubisky last week on the Bears’ first series of the game, he came in and led Chicago to their only touchdown of the game.
When Daniel was in there, he stood tall in the pocket and gave us a glimpse of what the Bears offense should look like. While there’s certainly no QB controversy, there’s no denying Daniel’s comfortability in Matt Nagy’s offense.
That’s what Daniel needs to go against the Raiders on Sunday. Don’t try to force things, don’t try to do too much, just manage the offense effectively and let the defense handle the rest.
3. Can the Bears offense finally manage to get the run game going?
While the Bears’ offense has had its share of struggles this season, one of the frustrating parts of Matt Nagy’s unit has been the lack of production from the run game.
We saw it last season with Jordan Howard, and we’re seeing it this season with David Montgomery. Although the criticism about Howard was more about his versatility in the run game and pass game than anything.
The Bears’ offensive line has struggled to create holes for Montgomery, and his 3.4 yards per carry isn’t exactly what this offense wants. They’ll get another chance to try and find a rhythm with the ground attack against a Raiders defense that ranks middle-of-the-pack in run defense.
With QB Chase Daniel filling in for the injured Mitch Trubisky, expect the Bears to lean heavily on the run game to help Daniel.
4. Will the Bears defense finally get that shutout?
The Bears’ defense has been one of, if not the best defenses in the NFL after four games. They’ve allowed just 11.5 points per game against teams like the Packers, Broncos, Redskins and Vikings.
While Chicago is second to only the Patriots in points per game, they have yet to record a shutout this season, which is something that this defense wants to do. There’s no denying the dominance of the Bears’ defense, but most of the points they’ve allowed have come late in games after Chicago has a lead and is playing not to lose.
If the Bears get a big lead, can the defense continue to bring the pressure to get that illustrious shutout they want?
5. Will the Bears avoid a trap game?
Everything about Sunday’s contest against the Raiders screams “trap game.” Thoughts of Miami and New York come rushing back as the Bears fell last season to two teams they should’ve easily beaten.
There’s a confidence heading into Sunday’s game against Oakland following last week’s impressive victory over the Vikings. But it’s important for Matt Nagy to remind his team that they haven’t won anything yet.
This isn’t a terrible Raiders team, even though they sit at 2-2. The Bears need to go out and play that Bears brand of football and take Club Dub international before heading off into a much-needed bye week.
