The Las Vegas Raiders are trying to emerge from the stench of a bad Week 3 road loss to the Washington Commanders, and welcoming the Chicago Bears to Allegiant Stadium is a fine-looking game to get back on track after two straight losses.
The Bears are also 1-2 on the season, but they are riding the high of a 31-14 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Caleb Williams was not sacked for the first time in his career, and as expected, he thrived. If the Raiders are going to do what the Cowboys couldn't, one man will, of course, lead the charge.
Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby has a sack in two of the first three games this season, and according to Pro Football Focus, he has 11 pressures through three games. He looks healthy after an injury cost him the end of last season, and he appears to be in Pro Bowl form once again.
Maxx Crosby is getting gifted a great matchup vs. Bears in Week 4
The Bears are well aware of the problem "Mad Maxx" poses, as earlier this week, head coach Ben Johnson said the following:
"In my opinion, he's a top-five player in this league on defense and probably doesn't get the recognition that he deserves," Johnson said. "He's all over the place. Relentless, high motor. You have to account for him and know where he is at every single snap, or else he'll get you, and he wrecks drives. That's what he does."
The Bears had a big injury concern coming in on offense this week. Right tackle Darnell Wright left last Sunday's game with an elbow injury, and he unsurprisingly did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday. Alas, the Bears' final injury report for Week 4 revealed Wright is out.
When Wright left last week's game, Theo Benedet played 12 snaps in his place at right tackle. The previous week, the second-year man played 11 snaps at left tackle in place of Braxton Jones at the end of a blowout loss to the Detroit Lions.
Benedet is in line to start at right tackle in Wright's place on Sunday against the Raiders, though rookie Ozzie Trapilo could be an option despite being a healthy scratch each of the last two games.
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The Bears signed Benedet as an undrafted rookie in 2024 out of the University of British Columbia in Canada, and he spent all of last season on their practice squad. So, yes, the aforementioned 22 snaps are the only snaps he has as an offensive tackle in an NFL regular season game.
Add in five snaps as an extra offensive lineman, and you get all the way to 27 snaps on Benedet's resume entering what will be the first start of his career. Trapilo, if he is somehow the starter in Wright's place or ends up playing some, did not play an offensive snap in the one game he has played so far this season.
Crosby, of course. lines up mostly on the left side of the Raiders' defensive line. So he doesn't have to be moved around in an effort to exploit a favorable-looking matchup this week. Benedet is sure to get ample help, from double-teams, chips and some quicker dropbacks for Williams, but Crosby is absolutely lined up to wreak havoc on the Bears' blocking schemes on Sunday.