Backup QBs likely to be under the spotlight for Bears and Raiders with Fields and Garoppolo hurt
LAS VEGAS (3-3) at CHICAGO (1-5)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox
BETTING LINE: Raiders by 1 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Las Vegas 3-3; Chicago 1-4-1
SERIES RECORD: Tied 8-8.
LAST MEETING: Bears beat Raiders 20-9 on Oct. 10, 2021, at Las Vegas.
LAST WEEK: Raiders beat New England 21-17; Bears lost to Minnesota 19-13
RAIDERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (24), RUSH (31), PASS (14), SCORING (27T)
RAIDERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (11), RUSH (21), PASS (8), SCORING (19)
BEARS OFFENSE: OVERALL (18), RUSH (7), PASS (26), SCORING (19)
BEARS DEFENSE: OVERALL (25), RUSH (8), PASS (29), SCORING (29T)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Raiders minus-7; Bears minus-6
RAIDERS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Davante Adams. The targets haven’t been going his way recently — just five against the Patriots — and Adams has been vocal about being integral to the offense. Given he’s one of the league’s top two or three receivers, getting Adams the ball is key to the Raiders’ success.
BEARS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Tyson Bagent. With Justin Fields dislocating his right thumb against Minnesota, Bagent figures to make his first career start. The undrafted rookie from Division II Shepherd University in West Virginia took over after Fields exited early in the third quarter. Bagent completed 10 of 14 passes for 83 yards with an interception in his debut. He also ran for a 1-yard TD, but committed two big turnovers. Bagent got strip-sacked by safety Josh Metellus, leading to a 42-yard touchdown return by Jordan Hicks that made it 19-6. And with the Bears trailing by six, he underthrew DJ Moore on a deep pass that Byron Murphy Jr. picked off with about two minutes remaining.
KEY MATCHUP: Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby against Bears rookie RT Darnell Wright. The Bears have allowed 25 sacks, and they’re going against one of the top pass rushers. The 6-foot-6, 333-pound Wright — drafted 10th overall last spring — figures to have his hands full going against a two-time Pro Bowler. The 6-5, 255-pound Crosby has 5 1/2 sacks.
KEY INJURIES: Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo hurt his back against New England, and though tests showed the injury wasn’t as bad as feared, he might not play Sunday. If he doesn’t, the Raiders will turn to 15-year veteran Brian Hoyer or rookie Aidan O’Connell. Also, Las Vegas CB Nate Hobbs has missed the past three games. … Bears RG Nate Davis (high ankle sprain) will not play after leaving last week’s game. … CB Terell Smith (mononucleosis) is out. … S Eddie Jackson (foot) exited last week’s game.
SERIES NOTES: Fields threw his first career touchdown pass the last time these teams met.
STATS AND STUFF: Raiders RB Josh Jacobs, who led the league in rushing last season, has not gained at least 100 yards on the ground in his past 11 games. His last such game was a 144-yard effort against the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 4. Jacobs averaged 4.9 yards per carry last season, but is at 2.9 this year. … CB Amik Robertson has allowed a 13.4 opposing rating, the lowest among all NFL defenders with at least 10 targets. Robertson also had a sack against the Patriots. … S Tre’von Moehrig has interceptions in two of his past three games. … The Raiders’ defense is tied with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers for tops in the league with 14 plays allowed of 20 yards or more. … K Daniel Carlson is one away from 25 made field goals of 50 or more yards. If he makes one in Chicago, Carlson would join Baltimore’s Justin Tucker as the only players to hit that mark in their first 85 games. Tucker had 28. … The Bears have lost 15 of 16 games. They dropped 14 in a row before winning at Washington two weeks ago. … Chicago has lost 10 in a row at Soldier Field since a Week 3 victory over Houston last season. The team is 0-3 at home this year. … Only two teams have allowed more sacks than Chicago: Washington (34) and the New York Giants (33). … Moore had 51 yards receiving against Minnesota after going for a career-best 230 the previous week.
FANTASY TIP: Adams has been a thorn in the Bears’ side. In 16 games against Chicago, he has 81 catches for 1,024 yards and 10 touchdowns.
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