Windy City Gridiron
Chicago Bears fans are riding high after an elite performance from Caleb Williams and a victory over the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday. This week, the Bears turn their attention to the Las Vegas Raiders as they look to even up their record at .500 after an 0-2 start.
To help get you set for the Bears’ week 4 matchup, we sat down with Matt Holder from Siler and Black Pride, SB Nation’s Las Vegas Raiders website, to help get the perspective of the opponent before this one kicks off. Here’s our Q&A with Matt.
1. What are the fans’ thoughts on the early returns from the new Pete Carroll regime? Two straight losses, but also two difficult games, are fans optimistic?
I think optimism would be higher had they not gotten blown out by the Washington Commanders with a backup quarterback. Had it been a tight game and Jayden Daniels was behind center, 1-2 with both losses coming against reigning playoff teams wouldn’t feel so bad. But the Raiders weren’t even competitive last week, which makes it feel like they’re a long way away from being a playoff contender and has soured the fanbase on Carroll a bit.
It also doesn’t help his cause that the offensive line has been terrible, and his son, Brennan, is the offensive line coach. That has been a hot topic of discussion this week, as many are already calling for Brennan to be fired and feel that Pete made a nepotism hire.
2. How concerned are you about Geno Smith at this point? He has not looked good in the last two games. I know the box score looked good in week three, but that largely seemed to be in the fourth quarter after the game was out of reach.
A: I can agree that Smith hasn’t been “good” in the last two weeks, and I will be the first one to admit he was terrible against the Chargers. However, I’d say he was fine last week and was far from the Raiders’ biggest problem. So, I’ll acknowledge that Geno needs to play better moving forward, but I’m not that concerned about him right now. He was sharp in Week 1 and is still getting comfortable working with a new set of teammates and in a new system.
3. How has Ashton Jeanty looked? Many Bears fans were hoping the Bears would land Jeanty in the draft, but obviously, he didn’t make it that far. The stats haven’t looked good, but it also looks like there might be some issues out of his control.
A: Jeanty can do a better job of being patient in the backfield to let the holes develop, but the primary reason for his underwhelming production is that the offensive line has been terrible. Fantasy Life’s Ian Hartitz posted a stat on X/Twitter that was pretty eye-opening: 101 percent of Jeanty’s rushing yards have come after contact this season. He has 144 rushing yards on the season and 146...
