Chicago Bears vs. Las Vegas Raiders Game Predictions

The Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders will play Sunday at Soldier Field without either of their starting quarterbacks.

The Bears’ Justin Fields is out with a right thumb injury and the Raiders’ Jimmy Garoppolo is out with a back injury. So it will be a battle of the replacements, with the Bears (1-5) looking to win their second game of the season under rookie Tyson Bagent and the Raiders (3-3 ) are trying to build a winning streak under Brian Hoyer or Aidan O. Cornell.

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As kickoff approaches, here’s our snapshot of the game.

Tyson Bargent

The undrafted rookie from Division II Shepard will make his first career start as Fields recovers from a dislocated thumb he suffered Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

Bargent was asked to step up in the second half of that game, and he completed 10 of 14 passes for 83 yards, no touchdowns, an interception, and a fumble as the Vikings won 19-13.

Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney said Friday that he thinks Bargent has “settled into speed” after a full week of practice as the starter.

“He’s going to be fine,” Mooney said. “He’s in rhythm with everything. He has a clock in his head. He knows when he wants to pass the ball and he knows who he wants to pass the ball to in certain games.

“He said he was getting all the reps from him and not getting any reps, which is different. So he’s definitely more confident and more comfortable with the game plan.”

Whether this is Bargent’s only chance to start is still up in the air.

( (DON’T MISS) Chicago Bears storylines for Week 7: Tyson Bargent’s underdog charm, Justin Fields’ unclear prognosis and a possible defensive resurgence )

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said Fields will not require surgery at this time and will not be placed on injured reserve, providing positive news about his recovery.

“Mobility is better, swelling is less, grip strength is better,” Eberfluth said. “It’s going in the right direction. “He’ll be there week in and week out and we’ll know more on Monday. “

Will Davante Adams’ frustrations carry over to the Bears?

The Bears know Adams well from his eight seasons with the Green Bay Packers and his 81 catches for 1,024 yards and 10 touchdowns against Chicago. But it will be the first time the Packers have faced him since they traded him to the Raiders in 2022.

Adams had an up-and-down season with Garoppolo. He caught 13 passes for 172 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers in September. 24 yards, but then set a season low with two catches for 29 yards against the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Adams, who has been dealing with a shoulder injury, told ESPN this week that he is “frustrated” with his role with the Raiders.

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Cornerbacks coach Jon Houck said it’s obvious the Bears take notice when a player expresses such frustration during a week they’re preparing to defend. Hoke started by praising Adams, calling him “extremely competitive,” but that was just the beginning.

“He understands what the defense is trying to do,” Houck said. “He’s very smart at that. “He’s a challenge because of his physical skills, his competitiveness and his ability to change routes quickly. “

The Bears were lucky not to have to face Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson last week when the defense had one of their best performances, although the Bears’ defense said they’d love to face him.

“We love playing with top receivers,” safety Jaquan Brisker said. “We wanted to get Jefferson on the field last week, but he just didn’t play. So this week, Davante Adams gives us a big challenge. We like challenges. “We’re going to accept that challenge. , and get ready for the 17th this week. “

Brian Hoyer (or Aidan O’Connell)

Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels won’t tell reporters before Friday’s practice whether he plans to start Sunday with veteran Hoyer or rookie O’Connell, though Brad Biggs of The Tribune Hoyer is expected to start.

Hoyer, 38, has started 40 games since 2009 and appeared in 78 games with eight teams, including five starts with the Bears in 2016. But he has started just three games since 2018.

The 2016 Bears season was the last time he won a starting game. But he helped the Raiders pull off a win against the Patriots last week with Garoppolo injured.

“Hoyer is very talented,” Eberflus said. “He’s seen a lot of coverage. He’s seen everything. So he’s been in a lot of meetings with Josh, so they’re familiar with it. He’s got a good feel for this offense. The comfort level there is great. He has it. Great mobility, able to run away when needed…but that’s not what he does. He’s a pace-maker.”

O’Connell, who started one season at Stevenson High School and later served as a backup at Purdue, started 26 games and threw for 9,219 yards for the Boilermakers from 2019-22.

The 2023 fourth-round pick made his first start in a 24-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4. He completed 24 of 39 passes for 238 yards, no touchdowns and one interception, was sacked seven times and lost two of three fumbles.

Linebacker Tevin Jenkins said this week he needs “full communication” as the Bears deal with more injuries on the offensive line.

They already lost left tackle Braxton Jones to injured reserve with a neck injury. Right guard Nate Davis will be out with an ankle injury, and right tackle Darnell Wright has been dealing with a shoulder injury and is listed as doubtful, although Eberfus said he should be able to play Sunday.

The Bears have had five starting offensive line combinations through six games this season and are heading into their sixth Sunday. Jenkins said there have been a lot of conversations about what each player wants and expects.

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“It’s just understanding that we have to do different pieces with different people and understanding what certain people need from other people, fit-wise, career-wise,” he said. “Being able to go out together as a unit to make sure we have the same confidence and the same communication.”

Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby has 5 1/2 sacks, eight quarterback hits and eight tackles for loss in six games. No other Raiders player had more than one sack.

“He’s getting attention for his efforts,” Eberflus said of Crosby. “That’s the thing that jumps off. Of course, he’s a great athlete, he’s got a lot of flexibility and he can stay fresh in the game. But just hard work.”

Along with Fields and Davis, the Bears announced safety Eddie Jackson (foot), cornerback Terrell Smith (mononucleosis) and running back Rochon Johnson (concussion) as sidelined. .

Wright, safety Ja’Quan Blisk (groin) and offensive lineman Dan Feeney (knee) are questionable. Blisk had groin tightness, but Eberflus sounded hopeful he would be able to play.

The Raiders were without Garoppolo, cornerbacks Jakorian Bennett (shoulder/knee) and Nate Hobbs (ankle).

It appears local product Aidan O’Connell could replace local product Jimmy Garoppolo (guard) for this game, but the Raiders are expected to turn to former Bears backup Brian Hoyer. The move was a bit surprising – O’Connell had a solid preseason and earned a start in Week 4. That could be bad news for Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams, who has shown he would rather have the ball. Hoyer didn’t get much work in the frontcourt, and O’Connell targeted Adams 13 times in his only appearance. The Bears turned to undrafted rookie Tyson Bargent, who showed no aversion to challenging all levels of the secondary. It remains to be seen how the Bears will protect him up front amid more injuries along the offensive line.

Raiders 20, Bears 17

How do you pick a game between two backup quarterbacks – one of whom is a rookie who has never started a regular season game above Division II in the NCAA and the other who is likely to be a 38-year-old veteran who hasn’t played since 2018? Already started 3 times since? Is it possible to make a game-changing mistake? Bears rookie quarterback Tyson Bargent committed two turnovers in less than half a half in his only playing time Sunday in place of Justin Fields. supporting role? Whether the Raiders start veteran Brian Hoyer or rookie Aidan O’Connell, they have All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams and running back Josh Jacobs, though neither is having a season. meet their standards. defense? The Raiders have stopped some bad offense and have defensive end Maxx Crosby lurking behind Bargent against the Bears’ ever-chaotic offensive line. With so much unknown about Bargent’s performance on Sunday, these factors lead me to give the edge to a less-than-stellar Raiders team.

Raiders 23, Bears 21

Gee, I don’t know. Isn’t there a “confused and flustered” GIF that makes us just come here and move on? The Raiders have the best offensive player in the game (Davante Adams) and the best defensive player in the game (Max Crosby). But they’re definitely average in uniform, not doing anything particularly good, and will likely turn to 38-year-old backup quarterback Brian Hoyer (or even Aidan O’Connell) to help them get through Sunday . The Bears, meanwhile, remain a mess and are about to start an undrafted rookie quarterback behind a still-shaky offensive line. Still, I’m going to take the risk. I predict Tyson Bargent will have no turnovers and the defense will allow him a touchdown.

Bears 23, Raiders 20