Las Vegas Raiders: 3 Chicago Bears to Worry About in Week 5
By Alex Perl
Las Vegas Raiders: 3 Chicago Bears to Worry About in Week 5
Bilal Nichols, Defensive Tackle
Not to beat a dead horse here, but it would be ludicrous to write an article about the Raiders in any capacity and ignore the horrific offensive line. Even if this article is mainly about the Bears, the point here is that the defensive line of the Bears is going up against an offensive line in Las Vegas that is rapidly in decline.
With all of the injuries the Raiders have incurred throughout the early season, somehow and in some way, the franchise still rolled out to a 3-0 record. The latest game which resulted in a loss possibly pulled the curtain away from a struggling offensive line that might be trending even further down, and offensive line coach Tom Cable may not be able to fix the mess this offensive line has become.
Enter Bilal Nichols.
With Akiem Hicks looking to miss this matchup as he is listed as doubtful, and Eddie Goldman still rusty after finally returning from injury, Nichols has the role of leading the interior this week. He is a big and strong defensive tackle who will look to push against a Raider O-Line that has given the word ‘miserable’ almost a bad name.
Nichols has really come into his own, as the former fifth-round pick is developing into quite a run stopper.
With the Silver and Black continuously struggling to get the ground game going week after week, Nichols will look to continue this unfortunate trend for Las Vegas. Keep an eye out for Nichols, as he will look to negate the so far useless running ability of the Raiders backfield led by Josh Jacobs.