Raiders’ Defense Bracing for Yet Another Big Test

The Las Vegas Raiders are set to face one of the league's best offensive playcallers and one of the league's up-and-coming quarterbacks on Sunday.

The Raiders' Challenge

The Raiders return to Allegiant Stadium on Sunday to face the Chicago Bears. Both teams are 1-2 but the Bears are coming off a win, and the Raiders have lost two consecutive games. The Bears will be the third consecutive talented offense the Raiders will face.

Before Thursday's practice, Raiders' Offensive Coordinator Patrick Graham explained what he has noticed from a talented Bears team. Graham knows the Raiders will have their hands full for various reasons, as the Bears are more talented than their 1-2 record indicates.

"First thing that jumped out is the physicality with the offensive line. They've got a lot of good, big players up there, good size, that play pretty physical. And the second thing that would jump out, just in general about the offense, is the team speed. The skill players along with the quarterback, there's an enormous amount of speed out there on the field. So just being ready to capture that,” Graham said.

“I thought Minnesota did a good job of it; I thought they did a good job. I think Chicago was familiar with it. Might have caught Dallas a little bit off guard, but the speed of their team is legitimate. And then in terms of Caleb [Williams], you're seeing the maturity of a second-year player at the quarterback position. And being decisive, having his confidence grow, I think Ben [Johnson] does a good job of helping aid that. 

Graham noted that Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson is a talented play caller. Graham expects to see the best version of Johnson's Bears on Sunday. Las Vegas' defense must be prepared to perform better than it did last Sunday against the Washington Commanders.

“I mean, has a proven track record of installing offense, implementing good schemes. He's a great challenge in terms of just to prepare for. He's really smart, that's been documented, but I just think the way he adjusts within the game and how he gets a feel for the flow, it's almost like you're going against a defensive play caller. That's how it feels going against Ben, so it's going to be interesting," Graham said.