Bears vs. Raiders: Game Time and Analysis

Things were too perfect in the Chicago Bear’s universe. The Bears were on a five-game winning streak, in prime position for a playoff berth and had their offense, defense and special teams running on all cylinders. They looked like a legitimate football team, something that has been a rare find in the Windy City over the past two decades.

So when Jay Cutler’s thumb injury was announced following last week’s win over San Diego, Bears fans couldn’t help but get a feeling of hopelessness.

Now Caleb Hanie steps into the spotlight for the first time since last year’s NFC Championship game. Against Green Bay, Hanie led the Bears to two touchdown drives, finishing 13-for-20 passing for 153 yards and a touchdown, but also throwing two interceptions. Even with no career starts in the NFL, the Bears will turn to Hanie for at least the next five weeks. We don’t know much about the fourth-year quarterback out of Colorado State, but scouting reports say that Hanie is a decent athlete – like Jay Cutler – and has shown the ability to consistently read defenses and make the short and intermediate throws.

Hanie will be making his first career NFL start, and he’ll be doing it against an Oakland defense that has recorded 28 sacks this season, good for sixth in the NFL. Expect the play calling to be reminiscent of the Kyle Orton era and include a good amount of carries and short passes to Matt Forte and Marion Barber, especially since Oakland is giving up more than 130 rushing yards per game.

Oakland comes limping into Sunday’s matchup on a two-game winning streak. The Raiders have injuries up and down their offense. RB Darren McFadden is likely out while WRs Darrius Heyward-Bey, Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore are all listed as questionable for Sunday.

But Oakland is leading the AFC West mainly due to the solid play of Carson Palmer and Michael Bush. After a dreadful first two games that saw the two-time Pro Bowler throw six interceptions, Palmer has thrown three touchdowns compared to one interception and completed more than 70 percent of his passes in Oakland’s past two wins. Bush, who replaced McFadden as the primary running back in Week 9, has averaged more than 120 yards rushing in his three starts.

With the health of Palmer’s receivers in question, Chicago will again focus on stopping the run and forcing Palmer to beat the Cover-2. The Bears defense has been stout against the run over the last six weeks, giving up an average of less than 70 yards per game.

Cutler could return in time for the Bears’ regular-season finale against Minnesota on New Years Day. But it won’t mean anything if the Bears sputter with their backup signal-caller leading the offense. Hanie doesn’t have to be Peyton Manning; he just can’t be Rex Grossman.

While the Bears will still have three games against under -.500 teams, a good performance against Oakland will do a lot, not only for Hanie, but also for the rest of the team’s belief in him. 

Game Time

The game between the Chicago Bears and Oakland Raiders will kickoff at 3:00 p.m. Central Time and 1 p.m. Eastern Time on WFLD Fox.

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