What a win!
The Raiders went into London and stunned the Chicago Bears with a 24-21 victory. The Raiders who were -6.5 underdogs coming into the game, dominated for three quarters and overcame terrible mistakes when they haven’t in years past.
The team started out fast scoring points on three of their first four drives. They controlled the game running the football for 169 total yards with the offensive line bullying the Bears upfront. The passing offense wasn’t anything to write home about. Carr was his efficient self and didn’t force any turnovers being mindful of the pass rush.
The defense displayed another solid showing holding the bears to 236 total yards and 4.6 yards per play. It was the first game where they forced more than one turnover with two interceptions by the secondary. The pass rush was exceptional, with Mayowa continuing his breakout season recording a sack. The Raiders were able consistently to gain pressure on the Chase Daniels, forcing him into bad decisions.
The Raiders now move to 3-2, and Gruden has to be proud of the team exhibiting their fight winning two straight on the road( yes, it was technically a home game). Surviving this brutal stretch was crucial for a playoff run, and the silver and black have pulled it off. Let’s look at the winner and losers for Week 5 against the Bears
Winner: RB Josh Jacobs
Jacobs continues his fantastic rookie season and is carrying the Raiders on his back. The first-round pick was selected with the Bears draft pick they traded to the Raiders for Mack. Now Jacobs can’t rush the passer, but he is carrying linebacker and safeties on his back into the end zone.
From the start of the first drive, fans could tell Jacobs was about to have an incredible game. He finished with 123 yards rushing on 26 carries for two touchdowns. Every run was impressive, with former Alabama running back breaking tackle after tackle and wearing down the Bears defense throughout the first half.
On the biggest drive of the game where the Raiders went 97 yards, Jacobs was the primary catalyst having seven carries with 33 yards rushing, finishing with the game-winning touchdown. Jacobs is proving his value as a first-round pick and a difference-maker in the Raiders offense.
Winner: DT Maurice Hurst
Maurice Hurst has had a solid start to the season but has not entered the sack department. That all changed Sunday night in London with his best performance of the season, making his presence felt with constant pressure on the quarterback.
Hurst recorded his first two sacks of the season and was in the backfield, creating a life full of nightmares for Daniels. He displayed his quickness and pass-rushing abilities that made him such a highly-touted prospect coming out of college in Michigan.
The former fifth-round pick opened opportunities as well for other pass rushers with other players picking up clean up sacks based on his pressure on the interior. Hurst maintaining this performance for the rest of the season will be essential for a Raiders playoff run moving forward.
Winner: Offensive Line
The true heroes of this football game were the Raiders offensive line. All the talk they heard this week about Khalil Mack’s revenge game and how many sacks they were going to give up must have been motivation. They went right into Tottenham stadium and made a statement putting the rest of the NFL on notice of how tough they can be.
The Raiders did not give up a sack all game leaving Mack without a chance to sack his best friend, Carr. Denzelle Good and Richie Incognito dominated inside, while Kolton Miller finished with probably his best performance of his career. Creating clean pockets is vital to Carr’s game, and the offensive line seems primed to allow Carr to thrive.
The real showing was in the run game where they pushed the Bears around like it was their little brother. The Raiders finished with 169 yards rushing against one of the top run defenses in all of the NFL. It is a bit early in the season, but this offensive line is reminiscent of 2016.
Loser: CB Gareon Conley
Gareon Conley is a player with plenty of promise to be one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. He showed this last week excelling in pass coverage, helping him earn a 90.00 grade from Pro Football Focus. London must not be his favorite spot, because he put up a bad performance against the Chicago Bears.
While the Raiders don’t have their cornerbacks follow, Allen Robinson was mainly lined up across from Conley. Robinson dominated this match up all game catching two touchdowns when guarded by Conley in man to man defense. One of the touchdowns was a beautiful throw from Daniels, but for Conley to be an elite corner worth a first-round pick, he has to make a play on the football.
Conley now has the bye week to think about his disappointing performance and how he can turn his season around. The Raiders need him to be active in the secondary against top competition. Hopefully, Conley steps up to the challenge.
Loser: LG Richie Incognito
The offensive line had a great day, as highlighted above, but there were a few warts during parts of the football game. One of them was dumb decisions by Richie Incognito, who has the reputation of dirty play previously in his career.
On the Raiders’ first drive, they were all the way down to the Bears territory efficiently moving the football. On third down, the offense got a modest gain but enough to keep them in field goal range to go up 3-0 early on in the game.
Incognito instead decided to shove a Bears player head into the ground after the play causing a 15-yard penalty and knocking the Raiders out of field goal range.
The play itself was dumb because it cost the Raiders a field goal. However, it is going to be interesting to see how the league reacts to the move and whether they look into a suspension for Incognito. His bad past does not help, and with the Raiders about to have Gabe Jackson by in the fold, they can’t afford to lose Incognito.
