Oct. 05--You are what your record says you are, former Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells famously said.
But the Raiders insisted they did not consider the previously winless Bears a bunch of losers.
"When you turn the film on ... they are very good," Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said. "And I am not one to lie. They are a very good defense, very good front. Secondary has a lot of playmakers, very athletic in the secondary. So we knew it was going to be hard. ... A very good fight to the end, and it sure was."
The Raiders found themselves on the short end of a 22-20 decision Sunday at Soldier Field.
"This was just one of those old-fashioned NFL fights, down to the wire," Carr said. "It came down to the end and they made a great play."
Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said his team was not thrown off in its preparation when it came to the questionable status of Jay Cutler starting after he missed a game with a hamstring injury.
"No, we knew he'd play," Del Rio said. "It was a really hard-fought, back-and-forth game. Give them credit."
Carr completed 20 of 33 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted once and had a passer rating of 84.9.
"(The Bears) had the ball a lot in that first half," Carr said. "So it was hard to get into that rhythm."
The Raiders were held to a pair of Sebastian Janikowski field goals in the second half, including a 41-yarder that gave them a 20-19 lead with 2:05 left. The Bears secondary prevented deep pass plays to the Raiders' speedy receivers. Amari Cooper was targeted nine times but caught just four passes.
"They liked to double (team) Amari a lot," Carr noted. "And I don't blame them. He's a good football player."
The Bears defense claimed turnovers on an interception by Pernell McPhee that bounced off running back Latavius Murray and a fourth-quarter fumble by Murray that was recovered by Sam Acho.
"They have a solid front," Murray said. "They're a good defense."
fmitchell@tribpub.com
