Moe Moton
The Las Vegas Raiders are preparing for their second home game of the season, aiming to bounce back from consecutive ugly losses, including getting blown out by the Washington Commanders last week.
The Week 4 matchup with the Chicago Bears provides a real opportunity for a feel-good win and the chance to remain within shouting distance of the streaking LA Chargers, who are 3-0 and atop the AFC West.
A loss could put the Raiders back by three games just four weeks into the season.
The Raiders are coming off an abysmal outing against Washington in which they faltered in all three phases of the game. The offensive line continued to struggle with blocking assignments. The run defense gave up 201 yards. The special teams unit allowed a 69-yard opening kick return and then a 90-yard punt return for a touchdown.
As for the Bears, quarterback Caleb Williams put together one of his best pro performances, throwing for 298 yards and four touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys last week.
At 1-2, both teams are trying to get back to .500 before heading into the second quarter of the season.
Will the Bears re-establish their offensive rhythm? Can the Raiders play a complete game for four quarters in all three phases?
Here are three predictions for how the Raiders’ Week 4 matchup with the Bears unfolds on Sunday.
Jakobi Meyers Scores First Touchdown in 2025
Jakobi Meyers leads the Raiders’ pass-catching group with 17 catches and 228 receiving yards, but he’s yet to score a touchdown this season.
In Week 4, Meyers draws a favorable matchup against the Bears’ 27th-ranked pass defense, which has surrendered the most touchdowns (eight) through three weeks.
Furthermore, while in the slot, Meyers will likely line up against nickelback Nick McCloud, who’s allowing a perfect 158.3 passer rating in slot coverage, per Pro Football Focus.
Meyers has racked up at least 63 receiving yards in all three games this season. He’s due for a trip to the end zone in a matchup with one of the league’s worst pass defenses.
Ashton Jeanty Scores Second Career Rushing Touchdown
The Raiders’ offensive line has done Ashton Jeanty few favors in run blocking. Jeanty has earned an absurd amount of his total yardage after contact, which indicates the five guys up front aren’t getting much push at the line of scrimmage.
The Fantasy Life host Ian Hartitz displayed a graphic revealing that Jeanty has gained 101 percent of his rushing yards after contact.
Entering Week 4, Jeanty is averaging just 3.1 yards per carry. Though he’ll face the Bears’ 26th-ranked run defense, don’t expect a significant improvement in rushing efficiency behind a subpar offensive line.
However, like he did in Week 1 against the New England Patriots, Jeanty should be able to find the end zone with red-zone touches.
Chicago has the 22nd-ranked red-zone defense, which means Jeanty should have some opportunities to score in short-yardage situations.
Raiders and Bears Score More Than 50 Points Combined
The Raiders have struggled to put points on the board because of their offensive line and quarterback Geno Smith’s head-scratching decisions in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers. They needed garbage-time points to score 24 in last week’s contest with the Washington Commanders.
On Sunday, the Silver and Black may finally show the potential of its offense, but it could happen in a scoring shootout.
Las Vegas and Chicago are coming into this contest with defenses that rank outside the top 20 in points allowed.
The Raiders gave up 41 points to the Commanders, who started Marcus Mariota in place of injured first-stringer Jayden Daniels. Chicago has given up at least 27 points in two of its three games.
Fans at Allegiant Stadium should prepare themselves for a high-scoring battle on Sunday. The final score could be 27-24, going either way.
Maurice Moton covers the Raiders for Sportsnaut. You can follow him on Twitter at @MoeMoton.
