As poorly as the Bears played in the first half of the season, they're
not nearly as bad as Oakland.
After Sunday's 24-17 home loss to the Texans, the Raiders (2-6) have
dropped four in a row, with no signs of recovering. Their quarterback
situation remains a mystery. First overall pick JaMarcus Russell still
watches from the sideline, veteran Daunte Culpepper is benched for not
moving the offense and unknown Josh McCown gives the team little reason
to stick with him.
The Bears should be able to run against the Raiders, who surrender
nearly 150 rushing yards a game and gave up 122 to the Texans' Ron Dayne
on Sunday. Yes, Ron Dayne.
It will be a little tougher for Brian Griese to get going against
Oakland's pass defense, which ranks as one of the league's best.
Defensively, the Bears won't have to fret about a quarterback beating
them, but they have to be fully cognizant of the Raiders' running game.
The tandem of LaMont Jordan and Justin Fargas is one of the league's
best. The Bears have had enough trouble trying to shut down one featured
back, let alone two.
Key stat: 13-23. That's the Bears' turnover margin, second worst in
league to the Rams. Lovie Smith is practically begging his defense to
force more turnovers. The Raiders had three Sunday.
Key matchup: Griese vs. Raiders linebacker Thomas Howard. Griese threw
four interceptions in his last outing and has 10 in five starts. Howard
has four interceptions and has taken two back for scores.
Early pick: Bears 27, Raiders 7. Something has to give when a struggling
team battles a horrendous one. The Bears' only concern should be those
obnoxious Raiders fans.
