The Las Vegas Raiders and Chicago Bears head into their Week 4 matchup both sitting at 1-2, each aiming to even their record at .500. The Silver and Black will also have to deal with Caleb Williams, who arrives in Las Vegas riding a wave of confidence.
Williams completed 19 of 28 passes for 298 yards and four touchdowns, putting the Las Vegas defense on notice to play better than they did against the Washington Commanders or else the USC product could have a field day against them.
Heading into the Week 4 clash, Bears head coach Ben Johnson put the Raiders defense on notice as he believes the Chicago quarterback can hurt an NFL defense in multiple ways.
“When the offensive line protects like that, it’s a lot easier to play from the pocket,” Johnson told the media on September 22 (h/t Marquee Sports Network). “I thought zero sacks. We had a very clean pocket for the most part. That’s a starting point. He’s got the ability to escape and extend and all that. But, man, if we can keep him in there, our playmakers are some dynamic route runners that we can get the ball to in space.
“I think he saw when he plays on time, he’s trusting the hitches, and we can be an explosive offense that way. There’s a lot of ways that Caleb Williams can hurt you. Like I said, when we have pass protection like we had against the Cowboys, that certainly helps.”
Caleb Williams Is Finding His Groove Before Facing Raiders
The Raiders have reason for concern as Williams seems to be settling into the new offense after a rocky start in his first two games under the Bears’ first-year head coach. Moreover, former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner believes that the Bears could be opening the playbook for Williams, as Las Vegas could face a team ready to unleash the gadget plays.
“I just think the whole operation offensively was fun to watch,” Warner said on September 22 during an appearance on 670 The Score. “I think the key for me was they won early—they won within the scheme of what Ben was trying to do. And then we got to see Ben come out. We got to see the flea flicker. We got to see some of the fun stuff that’s always been a part of what Ben Johnson is as an offensive coordinator.
“And we haven’t really seen that a lot yet this year because they’ve been behind, and they’ve been trying to play the game. They played the game well early, which opened up the opportunity for some of those fun aspects. And then they had success with those fun aspects as well. So I just think it was a really good overall performance by the Bears in general.”
Bears Don’t See Themselves as Favorite Against Raiders
Even with all the praise and confidence Warner has in the Bears’ offense following their dominant performance against the Dallas Cowboys, Johnson still believes his team will be considered the underdog when they head to Las Vegas.