King’s Kourt: Oakland Raiders finding their identity

The Oakland Raiders went into London to take on the Chicago Bears as an underdog, but came out a team with a true identity entering the bye week.

On Sunday, the Oakland Raiders ‘hosted’ the Chicago Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, in what was the first game of the 2019 NFL International Series. Ever since the Raiders schedule was posted for 2019, the first thing every single member of Raider Nation did was circle October 6th, the first time matchup of Khalil Mack‘s Bears and Jon Gruden’s Raiders.

Mack, who was traded by Gruden in 2018 after holding out through the offseason, planned to make this a statement game and wanted this to be a true revenge game to show Gruden what he traded away. Instead, we had a display of what the result of the trade was. We saw the Raiders play a physical, strong and unrelenting game against the Bears fifth-ranked defense.

After trading a pair of three-and-out to start the game, the Raiders went on a 90-yard drive to record the first score on a Josh Jacobs touchdown run. Three plays later Nicholas Morrow picked off Chase Daniel on Chicago’s 24-yard line, which led to another Raiders touchdown, this time by DeAndre Washington.

The Raiders dominance continued through the first half.

In the second half of the game, the Bears capitalized on a costly miscommunication between Derek Carr and Jacobs, in which Carr killed the current play, a stretch run, and audibled to a sweep. The miscommunication resulted in Jacobs running as if it were a stretch and Carr tossing the ball into the open field where Mack ultimately landed on the ball and recovered the fumble.

Five plays later, the Bears were on the board and in 6 minutes and 81 seconds, the Bears were leading the Raiders 21-17. The Raiders capitalized on a huge kick return by Trevor Davis when they got the ball back and on first and goal on the Bears 3-yard line, Trevor Davis fumbled a Carr pass on the 1-yard line.

The Raiders were able to hold the Bears offense and the Bears were forced to punt after nine plays pinning the Raiders on their own 3-yard line. The Raiders offense, led by Carr, took the field and drove down 97 yards riding the arm or Carr, the legs of Jacobs and the hands of the Raiders tight end trio of Foster Moreau, Darren Waller and Derek Carrier.

Jacobs, who was acquired in the 2019 NFL Draft with the 24th pick, the one of the two first round picks the Raiders acquired from Chicago for Mack, continued to build his case for Rookie of the Year. He rushed for an impressive 143 total yards and two touchdowns in the Raiders 24-21 victory, as Carr went 25-of-32 for 229 yards.

In addition, it was Carr’s 17th fourth quarter comeback win, a mark he shares with Hall of Famer Ken Stabler.

The Raiders offensive line dominated the Bears front seven all game long and not only held Mack to zero sacks, but the entire Bears defense was virtually ineffective on all levels. The offensive line took Mack’s comments to heart and while they knew he was going to try to make a statement, they had a bigger statement to make.

The Raiders are quickly finding their identity and coming into their own as they enter the bye week. We have seen this team grow through these past five weeks, overcoming the adversity of injuries, loss and insane travel requirements.

Through it all, they seem to be getting stronger.  With the exception of a few mental breakdowns and potentially costly penalties, this was as close to a complete football game as the Raiders have played this season.

As we settle into this win and enjoy it for a week, the Raiders will enjoy a well-deserved and much needed week off to rest and heal up during the bye week before they go and face a hot Green Bay Packers team on the road. As the Raiders return from the bye, they hope to see Tyrell Williams, Gabe Jackson and JJ Nelson back in action.