Caleb Williams and the Bears beat the dealer this week in Las Vegas and took down the Las Vegas Raiders in a close one 25-24. The Bears advance to 2-2.
After a slow and unenergetic first half, the Bears woke up and brought some momentum out of the locker room. The main priority: keep Raiders DE Maxx Crosby away.
Bears’ defense shut down Geno Smith, picking him off three times, two belonging to the Bears veteran safety, Kevin Byard III.
One of the most significant issues the Bears’ offense has dealt with in the past decade is finishing a drive in the red zone and coming away with a field goal.
Numerous drives in recent years have been explosive, hyping up the fans, and expecting big-time touchdowns, but no, we settle for field goals or sometimes a turnover on downs.
The Raiders handed us back-to-back turnovers right there in the red zone at the beginning of the game, and they just looked stale, having to settle for three points rather than six.
Alright, as happy as the Bears are with DB Josh Blackwell’s blocked FG, we have to consider the outcome of the game if he doesn’t make it in time.
Let’s say they score: 38 seconds left, Bears have all three timeouts, down by two. Does Williams make that magic happen? The answer is yes, here’s why:
Williams took over Lambeau Field last season with 48 seconds left, only one timeout, and down by one on the final drive of the game. He walked away with the win.
That was with offensive coordinator Anthony Brown as interim HC. They have Ben Johnson now. You already know he prioritizes the 2-minute drill in practice religiously.
There is no doubt he could’ve gotten the Bears in field goal position in that short span of time. Time management, smart play-calling, and execution —they still would’ve gotten the win.
GM Ryan Poles needs to make some calls and start signing or trading for players. As the same issue in previous weeks, the secondary needs more depth and help without Jaylon Johnson.
After this game, it is clear that we need to address our defensive run game. Rookie Ashton Jeanty has had quite an underwhelming performance this season.
Not this week. Jeanty blew up the Bears’ defense with 21 carries, 138 rushing yds, one rushing TD, and two receiving TD. But all respect, this was definitely his breakout game.
Williams and the Bears get their bye week in week 5. A good two-game winning streak to soak up their victories and work on what needs fixing.
Still with some ups and downs, Ben Johnson will ensure these players don’t go on a mini-vacation and get sucked into distractions; they need to be mentally prepared for what’s ahead.
I was ecstatic to see the Bears did not give up this game. I saw it a lot in weeks 1 and 2, but they were hungry for this win. As much as I hate the butt-clenching close games the Bears give me, if it means we still get a win at the end of the day, I’m happy. They deserve a bye week, rest up, and get ready for a revenge game in Washington, D.C., in week 6.
For more NFL news and articles, click here.
If you love sports, download Stadium Rant from the Apple App Store and join one of the fastest-growing social sports communities. Be sure to follow us on socials too — you can find all our profiles on our Linktree.
