The Las Vegas Raiders and Chicago Bears head into Week 4 at 1-2, hoping to return to .500.
Chicago come in with momentum after cruising past the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3, giving Ben Johnson his first win as head coach. The Raiders, meanwhile, are looking to snap a two-game losing streak after falling most recently to the Washington Commanders.
Despite the Bears heading into this game with confidence, 670 The Score’s David Haugh is telling Johnson and his team not to overlook the Raiders.
“I hope [Johnson is] the first one to tell them that the Cowboys stink, and that they did this to a team that really isn’t very good,” Haugh said on the September 22 edition of “Mully and Haugh.” “Because they can’t take the Raiders lightly, and you can’t make the mistake that we often make of seeing things that aren’t there and announcing the arrival of things before they actually do.
“The Bears really are just a 1-2 football team, and they’re a losing football team in a losing culture and a losing organization. That’s the mindset that he has to take going to Vegas.”
Chicago Has a Winning Formula Against the Raiders
Although Haugh tells the Bears not to overlook the Silver and Black, he notes that Chicago has found the formula to win football games. Raiders quarterback Geno Smith is prone to interceptions, and the offensive line is probably the biggest weakness on the team, so Chicago could look to exploit it in Week 4 to get a second straight win.
“They can look ahead and, privately think, ‘Well, 2-2 at the buy is exactly where you want to be.‘ The Raiders are vulnerable. Geno Smith is a 35-year-old quarterback [who has] been sacked 12 times in 101 dropbacks. This is somebody who is susceptible to throwing [interceptions] or not being able to escape a rush.
“Come after him. Montez Sweat, welcome back. Now you can be the multiplier again. Get to the quarterback, collapse the pocket, win with defense, control with offense. That’s the formula. And they can win this game going to Vegas.”
Ben Johnson Sends Message Before Bears-Raiders
Johnson isn’t letting his team get too confident before facing the Raiders. While speaking to the media, he noted that they are the underdog ahead of traveling to face Las Vegas, which is probably one of those mental games to motivate his squad.
“We’re looking to piggyback on that performance here and go for our first road win here this week,“ Johnson told reporters on September 22 (h/t Ari Meirov). “We’re road underdogs already. I think Vegas has picked to beat us. We got to come out and have another great week of preparation, and I’ll go ahead and open it up.”
Chicago got its best performance of the season so far from Caleb Williams in the win over the Cowboys. The USC product completed 19 of 28 passes for 298 yards and four touchdowns. After that showing, the Raiders’ defense will need to play better than they did against the Commanders to avoid having Williams torch them like he did Dallas.