(670 The Score) It feels fitting that the Bears got a new man and they immediately flew out to Las Vegas together. They’ll be playing in that very large Roomba on Sunday at 3:05 p.m. CT with a chance to get above .500 before the truly daunting part of their schedule kicks off. Here are the matchups to watch as the Bears and Raiders meet Sunday while you sit at home wishing you had pulled the trigger on that cheap flight out West.
Bears RB Damien Williams vs. Raiders’ suspect rush defense
Bears running back David Montgomery’s absence due to a knee injury stings regardless, but it’ll really hurt Sunday against a Raiders rush defense that has been, at best, mediocre. Through four weeks, Las Vegas has allowed 529 rushing yards (10th-worst in the NFL) and 4.9 yards per attempt (fourth-worst). The advanced stats don’t love the Raiders either – their run defense ranks 18th in DVOA and 15th (57.6 grade) by Pro Football Focus’ metrics. The good news is that Bears running back Damien Williams looked plenty capable (eight rushes, 55 yards, one touchdown) while filling in for Montgomery toward the end of a win against the Lions on Sunday, and the Bears have been bullish on what rookie Khalil Herbert’s speed can bring to both phases of the offense. It’s a pretty safe bet that on the road with a rookie quarterback, the Bears will be dying to replicate the balanced offensive performance (188 net rushing yards, 185 net passing yards) they had this past week – even with Montgomery sidelined. Don't take my fantasy football advice, but if you were to take my fantasy football advice, I’d take a flier on Williams if I still could.
Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow vs. Bears CB Duke Shelley
At first glance, this matchup is the stuff of nightmares, though Shelley’s flashed at times this year – more so in the last two games. He played well in Cleveland and had an important pass breakup against Detroit (but we don’t need to get into the rest of his day against the Lions). He’ll certainly have his work cut out for him against Renfrow, who’s had an All-Pro caliber start to 2021 and is quite literally inventing his own routes. Sticking Shelley on Renfrow all game just because of their titles doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for the Bears, so maybe defensive coordinator Sean Desai gets creative and figures out a way to put top cornerback Jaylon Johnson on him somehow. The Raiders push the ball downfield with a lot more frequency than any team the Bears have played so far. Derek Carr is among the top 10 quarterbacks in average completed air yards (CAY) and average intended air yards (IAY). It's probably a good game for Bears safety Eddie Jackson to rediscover some of his 2018 form.
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Raiders DE Maxx Crosby vs. Bears OT Germain Ifedi
Through the first quarter of the regular season, no edge rusher has a better PFF grade than Crosby (91.4). Of all qualified edge rushers, he’s first in quarterback hurries (17), rush win percentage (29.3) and quarterback hits (11). Ifedi, on the other hand, isn't first in anything. A horrendous outing against the Browns is still skewering Ifedi's overall season stats, but he continues to look a lot like the player he has always been – a league average-ish right tackle who still draws too many penalties. Maybe he’ll get a full day of chip help, like he did against Detroit, from Cole Kmet or JP Holtz. That’d probably help. Still, Crosby has looked really good this year, and the Bears will also have to worry about Yannick Ngakoue from the other side. So maybe Kmet and Holtz.
Cam Ellis is a writer for 670 The Score and Audacy Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KingsleyEllis.