It normally doesn’t take much to knock the Bears off balance and squash their typically thin path to victory, but they withstood the loss of starting quarterback Justin Fields thanks to a clean, clockwork performance by Tyson Bagent and beat the Raiders 30-12 at Soldier Field.
The Bears aren’t banking on Bagent to become their franchise quarterback. They just want to see what he can do while Fields is sidelined. What he showed them Sunday was encouraging, especially if Fields is going to miss more games as he recovers from a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand.
Bagent didn’t commit any turnovers — No. 1 on any backup quarterback’s checklist — and completed 21 of 29 passes for 162 yards and a 97.2 passer rating. He also ran three times for 24 yards, including a 12-yard scramble on a second-and-11 in the third quarter to extend a drive that eventually led to a touchdown and a 21-3 lead.
There’s no parade for toppling a middling Raiders team that also was missing its starting quarterback and has yet to beat a good opponent, but every win means a lot to the Bears. They’ve squandered plenty of these supposed golden opportunities.
Virtually everyone around Bagent helped make him viable — a collective effort the Bears have rarely enjoyed this season.
The ground game was the engine of the offense, led by No. 3 running back D’Onta Foreman and a patchwork offensive line that featured just two starters in their original intended spots. Foreman ran 16 times for 89 yards and two touchdowns — he also caught a five-yard touchdown pass — and the Bears averaged 4.7 yards per carry overall.
Foreman capped a 69-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter to put the Bears up 7-0, and they maintained the lead the rest of the day.
Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson sealed it with a 39-yard pick-six against Raiders quarterback Brian Hoyer with six minutes remaining. He intercepted a pass from Aidan O’Connell on the next possession.
