Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 7 loss to Bears

One of the tougher tasks I have occasionally had in the 16 years I’ve been doing this series is finding anything positive in a seemingly complete collapse. This was one of those times.

The hapless Bears jumped to a 14-0 lead in this game and never looked back. The Raiders couldn’t stop the Chicago offense led by undrafted rookie QB Tyson Bagent. Mostly because they couldn’t stop the ground game and found themselves on their heels all game long.

It was so bad that even the final score didn’t accurately reflect the disparity. The final six points was a garbage time score after they were down 30-6. And honestly we all knew once the Raiders went down 21-3 in the third quarter, that was the clincher. After all, the Raiders offense hadn’t broken the 20-point barrier all season, and they were clearly not going to do it on this day.

But, as we typically do, let’s start with the glimmer of good before we go to the myriad of bad.

Ballers

DE Maxx Crosby

The best all-around edge rusher in the NFL is often the exception for the Raiders. Nearly every week he is not just a Baller, but the Top Baller. Even if that isn’t all that difficult to do on this team.

The defense didn’t hold up well most of the game, but every time they did, Crosby was the reason why.

The day began on a high note. The Bears won the toss and made the rare decision to start on offense. Then the Raiders forced a three-and-out, which immediately put them at an advantage. That advantage was created because on second down, Crosby got pressure to set up Bilal Nichols to make a tackle for loss and the Bears couldn’t dig out of it.

Down 7-0 to begin the second quarter, the Bears began driving again, picking up a couple first downs. Then Crosby burst into the backfield, forcing a holding penalty on his man and the Bears once again could not overcome it and punted.

Down 14-3 late in the second quarter, the Bears were threatening again. They moved into Vegas territory at the 47 and would get no further. Crosby flew in for the sack to put them back in their own territory with seconds left and that ended that.

That was as close as the Raiders would get. Still within two scores. Unfortunately Crosby can’t do it all by himself and the Bears were able to extend their lead, while the offense not only couldn’t close the gap, but actually made it worse with a late pick-six to turn this one into a laugher.

WR Jakobi Meyers

The Raiders had three scoring drives in the game. The first one featured a heavy dose of Meyers. He caught four consecutive passes for a combined 34 yards to put the Raiders in scoring range.

The second scoring drive featured a catch my Meyers to convert on third-and-three and a four-yard catch on second-and-goal from the ten.

He would later catch the Raiders only touchdown in the game. Even if it was a meaningless one in garbage time.

Busters

HC Josh McDaniels

The Raiders 30-12 debacle in Chicago was one of those complete failures that had people asking the question where it ranks in terms of the more embarrassing in the Josh McDaniels’ era. And the mere question speaks volumes. The answer does as well.

That’s because as bad as this one was — and it was bad — it’s still considered the third most embarrassing loss in the 24 games McDaniels has been head coach of this team.

Many people think starting Brian Hoyer over Aidan O’Connell was a mistake. While I’m more in the camp that it didn’t really matter. This team is ill prepared each week and uninspired.

And why wouldn’t they be? Their coach doesn’t seem to know the team he’s fielding. Playing with a complete lack of urgency or aggressiveness. Not to mention very little in the way of creativity.

This week Davante Adams made it clear he thought this offense should be functioning at a higher level and in order for that to happen, they need to get the ball to him. So, as if McDaniels was saying “There! You happy now?!” Adams saw every pass on the opening drive, the first seven passes, and all but one pass in the first quarter…then didn’t see another pass until the end of the third quarter.

The funny thing is, two of those three drives the Raiders moved into scoring range. So, it would seem Adams was right.

Just as McDaniels had in previous games, he made nonsensical fourth down calls. But this time it was an entire sequence that made you wonder what the hell he was thinking.

They were down 21-3 late in the third quarter. Which means this was essentially their last chance to get in the end zone of they are to have any shot at winning the game. They got a huge break with a46-yard pass interference penalty that put them at the 15-yard-line and they were at the nine-yard-line as we flipped into the fourth quarter.

Then they ran Zamir White for no gain and attempted a fade in the end zone…to Josh Jacobs. Yes, I said running your backup and throwing a WR fade to their reigning RUSHING champ. Make it make sense.

Jacobs couldn’t make the catch and keep both feet inbounds to bring up fourth and four. To McDaniels’s credit, he actually made the obvious right decision to go for it on fourth and four and Brian Hoyer threw it to Davante Adams to pick it up. It was back to Whiskey Tango Foxtrot after that.

On first-and-goal at the five, the Raiders ran a toss play to Josh Jacobs that the LB Jack Sanborn read like a children’s book and shot in unblocked to make the tackle for a five-yard loss. A four-yard reception by Meyers and a rare dropped fade to Davante brought up fourth-and-goal at the six. AND MCDANIELS BROUGHT OUT THE FIELD GOAL UNIT. I mean WHAT? How do you go for it on fourth-and-four at the nine-yard-line and then kick the field goal on fourth-and-goal at the six?? And all to make it an 18-point game midway through the fourth quarter. It’s still a three score game! Make. It. Make. Sense.

There was so much more than this, but is this not enough?

DC Patrick Graham

Your defense missed 13 tackles and let an undrafted former Division II rookie put up 24 points on you.

And what’s up with Tyler Hall not seeing a snap on defense? The guy who was elevated from the practice squad to started the previous two games (both wins, mind you), thus earning a contract to join the active roster. None of the cornerbacks out there were proving they deserved it more.

CB Marcus Peters, CB David Long Jr

Speaking the cornerbacks that were not proving they deserved to start this game. Peters and Long were brutal in this one. Peters is allergic to tackling and Long couldn’t stop giving up clutch catches.

On the Bears first scoring drive, they lined up in first down at their own 44-yard-line. Then Long gave up a five-yard catch and on third and five gave up a 13-yard catch that put the Bears in scoring range.

An interception gave the Bears the ball at the Vegas 34. Then on third-and-one from the 25, Peters had one of the most pathetic tackle attempts I’ve even seen. It was so bad, you have to see it to believe it. Mark Sanchez’s commentary was pretty spot on too.

That play went for six yards to put the Bears in the red zone. They scored the touchdown three plays later.

Peters would give up two more catches before the half on a drive that was stopped by the Crosby sack in the final seconds.

Peters led the team with four missed tackles. The above one was the most egregious, but he had two more on the Bears’ third scoring drive. Including the missed tackle on the D’Onta Foreman touchdown catch from five yards out.

The Bears final scoring drive featured Peters’s fourth missed tackle that resulted in a 12-yard run. A few plays later, they converted a third down and it was Long giving up a 13-yard catch that put them in Vegas territory at the 42. They would add a field goal from 54 yards out to make it a 24-6 game.

QB Brian Hoyer

One look at Hoyer’s passing chart tells the story.

That story is check downs. Only two passes traveled more than ten yards downfield and none went more than 15 yards downfield. And boy does he LOVE the left side. Just five passes went to the right side of the hashes and 15 of his 17 completions were to the left side. Well, technically, he had a 16th completion to the left. It was for a touchdown too! It was just a Bears touchdown on a pick six.

Six of his seven drives ended with him throwing either off-target, to a covered receiver, or for an interception. I don’t think we need to go drive-by-drive, do we?

RB Josh Jacobs

One of Hoyer’s two interceptions was not his fault. The first one went off the hands of Jacobs. He also could have given Hoyer his only touchdown pass had he been able to keep his feet inbounds on the fade route.

He ran for just 35 yards on 11 carries (3.2 yards per carry) to continue his crash following his rushing title season. He was targeted four times in the game. Two of them were the drops that led to the interception and the failed touchdown try. He caught one pass for six yards.

LB Robert Spillane

The drive following the interception saw Spillane bite hard on a play action, leaving 63-year-old tight end Marcedes Lewis wide open for a 16-yard catch that put the Bears in first and goal at the three. They scored the TD two plays later.

The next touchdown drive saw Spillane blocked on two screens that went for 17 yards and eight yards that put the Bears in first and goal at the seven. They scored three plays later.

Their final scoring drive began with a first down when Spillane was caught up in the wash to give up a 12-yard run.

S Tre’von Moehrig

The Bears second drive, they moved to the 13-yard-line. Then Moehrig missed a tackle on a nine-yard run. Two plays later they were in the end zone.

They nearly went for a third score in the first half when Moehrig gave up a 15-yard catch that put them at the Vegas 47-yard-line.

Come the third quarter, they would get that third score on a drive which Moehrig was blocked on a 14-yard run and missed a tackle on a six-yard catch that put them in the red zone. The touchdown that resulted iced this one late in the third.

Story originally appeared on Raiders Wire