Different offensive line, same problems for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Coach Jon Gruden’s offense continued to struggle and had its lowest point output of the season in a 20-9 loss to the Bears on Sunday. Chicago stopped the Raiders’ run game and put solid pressure on quarterback Derek Carr, led by former Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack.
On defense, Las Vegas let Bears rookie QB Justin Fields off the hook, getting pressure on him early but allowing him to find a rhythm thanks to poorly timed penalties.
But as always, some Raiders fared better than others. Here are this week’s winners and losers after Las Vegas drops its second straight game, falling to 3-2 on the season.
Winners
Quinton Jefferson
The Raiders’ defense allowed 143 rushing yards on the day, but in a couple of key moments, defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson registered big stops on run plays to keep the Raiders’ scant chances of winning alive.
Jefferson had two run-stuffs on 3rd-and-short plays, a change in fortune after the Bears had been gashing the Raiders up the middle. When all seemed lost for Las Vegas, Jefferson was there. He also had help from massive, people-moving defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins. It was a good representation of the Raiders defense, which kept fighting when the offense simply didn’t give them much motivation to do so.
Johnathan Abram
The Raiders’ third-year safety made his impact early in the game, crushing Fields with a heavy-duty QB hit. The play left Fields checking his body for damage, taking his rib protector off during the game to make sure his midsection was intact, according to CBS.
Abram registered three hits on Fields on the day, pacing the Las Vegas defense. Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley sent more blitzes than he has in past weeks, trying to knock Fields off his game. The rookie only tallied 111 passing yards, but he threw a touchdown and made just enough big plays to outscore the Raiders’ dysfunctioning offense.
Yannick Ngakoue
The Raiders speed-rushing defense end had two sacks, so he’s safely in this week’s winners column. He’s provided a pass-rushing punch that has changed the fortunes of the Raiders defense, along with his counterpart, defensive end Maxx Crosby. Plus, the sacks were Ngakoue’s first two of the season.
But it must be noted that Ngakoue had a very costly penalty in the first half. With the Raiders up 3-0, they were successfully impacting Fields’ play with pressure on the pocket. Ngakoue was called for a late hit on Fields on a 2nd-and-long, however. After that, Fields found a rhythm and the Bears marched down the field for their first touchdown of the day, taking a lead they would not relinquish.
Also, Crosby and Abram had costly penalties on that drive, too. It was that sort of day for the Raiders. But still, the Raiders’ primary problem continues to be Gruden’s offense.
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