Bears fans have always been known to travel. But there was something different Sunday in Las Vegas, where the Bears pulled off a 20-9 upset win against the Raiders.
Head coach Matt Nagy called the Bears crowd at Allegiant Stadium “impactful” in the game.
Bears fans made their presence known, and it even felt like a home game at times, where the offense and defense fed off the fans.
“I’m not used to playing away games where you have a crowd that can rival the home crowd,” said tight end Jesper Horsted. “And especially for this game, they were making so much noise, which really disturbs the opposing offense. And you saw a lot of penalties that are caused solely because of that.”
Safety Eddie Jackson added: “It was crazy to really see how our fans travel and come on the road. They helped us a lot. They kept us fired up, kept us pumped up. Just to hear the support out there that we have from the fans, we really appreciate it.”
The Bears gave their traveling fans plenty to cheer about in Las Vegas on Sunday, and their presence was certainly felt. The defense held one of the NFL’s top offenses to just 9 points, sacked Derek Carr three times and seemed to rattle the Raiders offense overall.
While the offense still has plenty to build on, they did enough to help guide the team to a win. Even without David Montgomery, the Bears found success on the ground with Damien Williams and rookie Khalil Herbert. While Justin Fields’ stat line wasn’t flashy, he showed his toughness and ability to make big plays down the stretch.
From Bears coaches and players to opposing fans, there were plenty of people who recognized the impact of Chicago’s fan base on Sunday.