LAS VEGAS – The Bears visit Las Vegas for the first time Sunday when they take on the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
Rookie quarterback Justin Fields will make his third start, and his first since head coach Matt Nagy announced Fields would be the starter moving forward.
Shaw Local Bears reporter Sean Hammond is in Las Vegas for the game. Follow his live updates on Twitter at @sean_hammond and on Instagram at @bears_reporter. Shaw Local analyst Hub Arkush will also be providing his analysis on Twitter at @Hub_Arkush.
Vegas pic.twitter.com/482WwT1gFs
— Sean Hammond (@sean_hammond) October 10, 2021
Catch up on all the news you missed this week below, and stay here for live updates all game long from the Shaw Local team.
Bears hold on to win, move to 3-2
The Bears held on to beat the Raiders, 20-9, on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Cairo Santos put the game away with a 46-yard field goal in the final minute.
The Bears defense stood tall all game. Bears quarterback Justin Fields finished 12-for-20 passing for 111 yards and one touchdown.
Cairo Santos adds field goal
With 2:45 to play, the Bears added a field goal to make it an eight-point lead. The Raiders need a touchdown and a two-point conversion to tie the game in the final minutes.
Santos’ field goal streak remains in tact. He has made 33 consecutive field goals dating back to last season.
Josh Jacobs touchdown gives Raiders life
A Josh Jacobs 1-yard touchdown made it a one possession game. The Raiders went for two and failed to convert. The Bears lead, 14-9, midway through the fourth quarter.
Two penalties hurt the Bears on the drive. One was an unnecessary roughness call against defensive lineman Mario Edwards, the other was a penalty on Roquan Smith for a hit to the head.
The Raiders drove 74 yards on 16 plays to score the touchdown.
In for six!@IAM_JoshJacobs | #RaiderNation#CHIvsLV is live on CBS. pic.twitter.com/bKaguB1thO
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) October 10, 2021
Raiders QB Derek Carr briefly leaves game
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was down on the field for several minutes after a quarterback sneak early in the fourth quarter. Players from both teams took a knee. Carr walked off under his own power. Former teammate Khalil Mack said something to him as he walked off.
Carr later returned to the game after a brief time in the injury tent.
Raiders QB Derek Carr is down and players from both teams have taken a knee. pic.twitter.com/kMvI8jp8NL
— Sean Hammond (@sean_hammond) October 10, 2021
Damien Williams spins his way into end zone
The Bears extended their lead to 14-3 when running back Damien Williams spun his way past a Raiders defender into the end zone. On second-and-goal from the four, the Bears handed off the Williams heading left. He found himself with one man to beat, and beat him he did.
Williams made a nifty spin move to capitalize on the score.
Spin move into the end zone for Damien Williams! #DaBears
— NFL (@NFL) October 10, 2021
📺: #CHIvsLV on CBS
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/jbsRGncm7R
Bears lose right tackle Germain Ifedi to injury
Bears right tackle Germain Ifedi appeared to injure his left leg or knee. Ifedi went down following a third down play late in the second quarter. He was down on the field for several minutes before walking gingerly off to the sidelines. Backup Elijah Wilkinson entered the game in Ifedi’s place at right tackle.
The Bears also lost linebacker Caleb Johnson, who plays mostly on special teams, to a knee injury. Johnson was officially listed as doubtful to return.
Quarterback Justin Fields also briefly entered the injury tent in the second quarter after an awkward tackle. Andy Dalton came in for a few plays, but Fields returned fairly quickly.
Fields throws first career TD pass
Justin Fields fit a touchdown pass into a tight window to find tight end Jesper Horsted. Fields threw the ball right past the defender’s ear. Horsted made a spectacular catch in the end zone.
It went as Fields’ first career touchdown pass. The score gave the Bears a 7-3 advantage early in the second quarter. The drive went down as a 10-play, 72-yard scoring drive.
.@justnfields hits @JHorsted for 6! 🎯 #CHIvsLV | #DaBears pic.twitter.com/YtIcXOA0xP
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 10, 2021
Raiders score first; Fields briefly visits with trainer
The Bears defense’s success in the red zone last week appeared to carry over into the Raiders game. The Bears stopped the Raiders on their first trip to the red zone.
A 69-yard drive stalled out at the 12-yard line and Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson made a 31-yard field goal. The Raiders took a lead, 3-0.
Meanwhile, there appeared to be some concern for quarterback Justin Fields on the Bears sideline. The Bears’ second possession ended when Fields failed to pick up a first down on a third-down run. Fields turned his back and took a shot. Trainers briefly examined his rib cage area. For a moment, Fields was bent over a garbage can as if he might throw up.
Andy Dalton warmed up for a few minutes, but never put his helmet on. Fields did return to the game on the next possession.
Bears announce inactive players
There were no surprises when the Bears announced their inactive players Sunday.
Quarterback Nick Foles, tight end Jesse James, receiver Breshad Perriman, linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe, tight end J.P. Holtz and defensive tackle Akiem Hicks will not dress for the game.
James is out for a personal matter. Iyiebguniwe (hamstring), Holtz (quad) and Hicks (groin) are dealing with injuries. Foles and Perriman are healthy scratches.
#Bears inactive players today:
— Sean Hammond (@sean_hammond) October 10, 2021
QB Nick Foles
TE Jesse James
WR Breshad Perriman
LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe
TE J.P. Holtz
DT Akiem Hicks
The Raiders will be without running back Peyton Barber, defensive end Malcolm Koonce, tackle Jackson Barton and defensive tackle Damion Square.
The following players are inactive for #CHIvsLV pic.twitter.com/SzTsO09ObW
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) October 10, 2021
Bears move David Montgomery to injured reserve
The Bears moved running back David Montgomery to injured reserve Saturday. The team will be without its starting running back for at least three weeks, maybe even longer. Montgomery injured his knee in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win over the Detroit Lions.
In a corresponding move, the team added linebacker Danny Trevathan back onto the active roster from injured reserve. Trevathan had been dealing with a knee injury since training camp.
Defensive tackle Akiem Hicks (groin) did not travel with the team to Las Vegas. Hicks will not play Sunday.
The Bears also added running back Ryan Nall to the active roster from the practice squad ahead of Sunday’s game. Without Montgomery, Damien Williams, Khalil Herbert and Nall will be the Bears’ active running backs.
What’s going on with Jon Gruden?
Raiders coach Jon Gruden has been in the news this week because of disparaging comments he made in several emails in 2011. Gruden made racist comments in reference to NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
At the time, Gruden was an analyst for ESPN and the NFL was in the midst of a lockout. In a Friday night interview, Gruden told ESPN that he also made disparaging comments toward NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Gruden has apologized for the comments he wrote in his 2011 emails. Gruden told ESPN that he was frustrated with the situation caused by the lockout.
“I was in a bad frame of mind at the time [in 2011], and I called Roger Goodell a [expletive] in one of these emails too,” the Raiders coach told ESPN. “They were keeping players and coaches from doing what they love with a lockout. There also were a lot of things being reported publicly about the safety of the sport that I love. I was on a mission with high school football [in the Tampa, Florida, area] during that time, and there were a lot of parents who were scared about letting their kids play football. It just didn’t sit well with me.”
The news has certainly created a distraction for the Raiders, who are off to a 3-1 start to the season.
Predictions, what to watch for and more
As always, Shaw Local analyst Hub Arkush provided his breakdown of what to watch, X-factor, key matchups and more. You can find Arkush’s entire preview here.
Shaw Local Bears beat reporter Sean Hammond broke down the top five things to watch in Sunday’s game. Read it here.
This week’s Shaw Local staff predictions were split 50-50 on who is going to win this game. Check out our picks here.
[ Bears podcast 238: The Justin Fields era is officially here ]
[ Battling foot, rib injuries, Bears captain Khalil Mack wants to show out in front of Raider Nation ]
What else did I miss this week?
Here’s all the news coming out of Halas Hall in Lake Forest this week.
[ Bears coach Matt Nagy confirms Justin Fields will start moving forward ]
[ Hub Arkush: Bears could contend if defense continues to impress ]
[ Joint practices might have sparked partnership between Bears, new return man Jakeem Grant ]
[ Hub Arkush: Justin Fields is starting, but what happened to change Matt Nagy’s mind? ]
[ Bear Down, Nerd Up: Is it time to declare Robert Quinn is back? ]