Ben Johnson credits matchup planning for run defense issues but Ashton Jeanty is exactly the trap the Bears must avoid

Hearing that resounding praise from Johnson does make you want to play the "What If" game going back to the 2025 NFL Draft, but let's face it, Jeanty was never going to make it to the Bears' selection. Las Vegas wanted him, he was there, and now the Bears need to get ready to go up against him.

At the same time, Jeanty's career is off to a slow start through three games for a guy that was drafted sixth overall and the Raiders are having some similar concerns as Chicago when it comes to establishing a consistent run game. To figure out why, I spoke with A to Z Sports Las Vegas writer Justin Churchill.

"When you have 144 total rushing yards, and 145 of them are after contact, it's pretty clear there is a problem in the run game. Jeanty has not had the start to his career that he or anyone, really, hoped he would have. The explosive runs haven't been there, and the gaps aren't being made. That is why the passing game isn't working either, because defenses are sitting back in a two-high shell. A defense that's supposed to prevent big passing plays, gives up running plays, yet nothing is working run-wise."

"The offensive line hasn't had the same starting five as they had in Week 1, when they actually won, the last two weeks. With Jackson Powers-Johnson out, it's been hard to run the ball. The offensive line is getting dominated up front in the trenches and has not been able to create any space for Jeanty. To be honest, it's a miracle he even has the rushing yards he does. With Jeanty continuously being hit before he even reaches the line of scrimmage, you can expect the Raiders to maybe go away from the pistol formation a bit more, to try and get Jeanty closer to the line of scrimmage before the play even starts. If there were ever a get-right game for the Raiders and their run game, it's this week."

Through three games, the Bears have actually struggled with run defense despite all the talk defensively centered around the lack of pass rush and injuries in the secondary. Only five teams have given up more yards on the ground than Chicago in 2025 and in Week 3, the Bears allowed over 6.0 yards per carry against the Cowboys. Despite the numbers, Johnson is confident the struggles are more matchup based than anything.

"No one wants to give up over five yards a carry, no one does," Johnson said bluntly. "Yet, when I look at the scoreboard and I see we gave up 14 points to a really good offense, then I'm pretty proud of our gameplan and I'm proud of the way the guys executed it."

"We'll look to be better in the run game here this week. That's always a point of emphasis for us. But, our goals and objectives to win the game vary. Sometimes, if you're going to take away a couple of dynamic receivers in the passing game, you might play with a lighter box in the running game and you might give up a few more yards in the running game than you'd like."

Heading into this game, the Raiders rank among the league's best in explosive plays and rank sixth in passing yards compared to 30th in rushing yards.

Yet, when game planning for this specific matchup, the Bears will need to account for Jeanty as well compared to last week because he's a player waiting for the right opportunity to prove why he was a top draft pick in April. The Bears can't be the ones fall into that trap on Sunday.