For more than a decade the Raiders have been one of the NFL’s least successful teams. But as the 2-1 Raiders prepare to play at Chicago Sunday (10 a.m. kickoff), it’s the 0-3 Bears that now appear overmatched.
Chicago, hoping to avoid its first 0-4 start in 15 years – and coming off a 26-0 loss to the Seahawks -- is expected to be without No. 1 quarterback Jay Cutler and receiver Alshon Jeffery, and this week traded defensive end Jared Allen and linebacker Jonathan Bostic.
The Bears’ offense has struggled under backup quarterback Jimmy Clausen and ranks 28th in the league. Clausen was just 9-of-17 for 63 yards last week and has been sacked four times since replacing Cutler in the second game.
Suddenly the Raiders – who broke a long road losing streak last week with a victory in Cleveland – are 3-point favorites on the road and come in with an offense that appears capable of putting up several touchdowns on Chicago, which is giving up a league-worst 35 points per game.
Over the past two games, second-year quarterback Derek Carr has thrown for 665 yards and five touchdowns with just one interception and rookie wide receiver Amari Cooper in that same span has 15 catches for 243 yards. Running back Latavius Murray, too, is on a roll, coming off a game in which he gained 139 yards.
This week, first-year Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio said he’s excited about what he’s seen the last couple of weeks from his team, but doesn’t want his players to get complacent.
“There’s a lot of growth in front of us and we absolutely (have) to grind and push and continue to sacrifice, and as coaches we’re going to continue to demand,” he said. “We expect to play a lot better football as we go forward this season, and the only way you can do that is if you put in the work.”
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On defense, the Raiders will be tasked with stopping Matt Forte, who gained 141 yards in the season opener against the Packers and is second in the NFL with 276 yards. He’s averaging 4.7 yards per carry and has four runs of 20 or more yards.
Cutler has a hamstring injury and isn’t expected to be ready to play Sunday. But Del Rio said this week he would “be shocked” not to see Cutler back in the lineup.
Certainly, Cutler’s return would give the Bears much more of a chance
“I think there’s a big diference between Jay Cutler and the other guys,” Del Rio said this week, talking about Clausen and No. 3 quarterback David Fales. “That’s not to slight them, but he’s a more accomplished player. Jay’s a good football player. He’s got tremendous arm talent. We want to make sure we’re prepared for him.”
If the Raiders can win Sunday to improve to 3-1, it would mark the first time Oakland has won three straight since 2011. It would also be the first time the Raiders would be over .500 for the first time since 2002 – the last year the franchise reached the postseason.
