Raiders at Bears 2023 Week 7: Bears to Worry About

Back in 2021, the Las Vegas Raiders were heavy favorites going into their home matchup against the Chicago Bears. At that time, the Raiders were seen as an upcoming AFC team with playoff potential, getting out to a 3-1 start, but the Bears ended up coming away with the surprising victory inside Allegiant Stadium.

That season was a roller coaster for the Raiders, as after the Bears game there were plenty of issues off the field, including the Henry Ruggs fatal car crash, as well as Jon Gruden's ousting. In 2023, the Raiders are riding a two-game winning streak heading into Chicago, and are once again favored, but as we saw two years ago, you cannot take this team lightly.

Here, we look at three Bears the Raiders have to worry about on Sunday.

Raiders at Bears 2023 Week 7: Bears to Worry About

OT Darnell Wright

The Bears have one of the better young offensive tackles in the game in Darnell Wright, and he doing his job against Maxx Crosby in this one is going to be must-see television. Wright has all the talent to man the left side of the line for the Bears, but Crosby is as elite an edge rusher as there is in the NFL, so this is a key matchup in Week 7.

If the Raiders can get pressure on the quarterback, who will likely be Tyson Bagent with Justin Fields doubtful for this one, they should be able to force some turnovers. However, outside of Crosby, the defensive line has struggled for most of the season, a script that must be flipped if they want to win their third straight.

LB TJ Edwards

On defense, TJ Edwards is a downright elite linebacker, and you can expect him to be flying all over the field against the Raiders on Sunday. Edwards leads the Bears with 70 tackles already through six games, an astounding pace, but a number that is likely caused by the fact Chicago's offense is terrible and the defense is usually on the field.

The Raiders have to account for Edwards on every play this Sunday, as he is a playmaking linebacker who already has a forced fumble and two sacks this season. If he is able to put his stamp on this game, it will spell serious trouble for Josh Jacobs and this Raiders run game.

WR DJ Moore

As we stated earlier, Justin Fields is likely out for the Bears on Sunday, which is great news for this Raiders defense. If Bagent gets the start, you can expect him to try and force the ball to his playmakers, and there is no better playmaker on the outside for Chicago than wide receiver DJ Moore.

Despite the Bears struggles on offense this season, Moore has been consistent, hauling in 32 catches for 582 yards and five touchdowns. The Raiders secondary has been better as of late, and containing both Moore, and tight end Cole Kmet has to be priority No. 1 for them on Sunday.

With a 1-5 record, the Bears are one of the worst teams in the NFL, so this is a very winnable game for the Silver and Black. If they can get the job done on Sunday, they will move past the .500 mark with a tough NFC North team on the horizon in the Detroit Lions in Week 8.