3 Stars
Josh Jacobs
How fitting is it that Josh Jacobs had himself a career day (26 carries, 123 yards rushing, two touchdowns) at the expense of the Chicago Bears? Were it not for the Khalil Mack trade, the Oakland Raiders would not have selected Jacobs with the 24th pick in the NFL Draft. Thankfully they did, and Josh Jacobs ran rampant on a tough Bears defense, effectively putting the team on his back.
The Offensive Line
The Bears defense, with Khalil Mack and Roquan Smith and Leonard Floyd at their disposal, managed to not bring down Derek Carr for a single sack all day. That’s a group effort from the offensive line, and kudos given to the tackles Kolton Miller and Trent Brown. When Miller held his own (with some TE help), Mack switched sides to no avail against Brown. All in all, a great performance from the Raiders upfront.
Maurice Hurst
The Raiders pass rush will continue to be a work-in-progress this season, but on Sunday it took a step in the right direction. Oakland won the sack battle, bringing down Chase Daniel four times while Derek Carr didn’t get sacked once. Maurice Hurst personally accounted for two of the Raiders’ four sacks (and he might have just followed up the game-clinching sack by emulating Mack’s signature celebration?)