The Oakland Raiders took down the Cowboys as 3-point NFL betting underdogs last Thursday and are 2½-point 'dogs this week as they travel to the Windy City to battle Brian Urlacher and the Bears.
The Monsters of the Midway will take center stage in the Windy City on Saturday night, as the Chicago Bears and Oakland Raiders crack skulls at Soldier Field in NFL preseason betting action.
This probably wasn't the debut that QB Jason Campbell was hoping for. The former Washington Redskins signal caller ultimately ended up running the Oakland offense for the entire first half in a 17-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys. However, just as all of the other quarterbacks the Raiders have gone through in recent years, Campbell had no luck putting points on the board.
With both reserves Charlie Frye and Bruce Gradkowski on the sidelines injured, Campbell and his immediate backup Kyle Boller knew they were going to see plenty of time. Unfortunately for Campbell, Boller might now have an edge on his starting job. The Handicappers are already discussing how the line up changes are going to effect the betting, get in on the action with the NFL chat at SBR forum.
Campbell only completed 7-of-13 passes for 49 yards. Boller performed much more admirably, leading the team on two scoring drives in the fourth quarter. He went 12-for-21 with 148 yards and a TD in a half of action.
Though none of the wide receivers particularly stood out, RB Michael Bennett had himself a great game with Darren McFadden sidelined. Bennett rushed for 68 yards and had a 33 yard reception to boot. "Run DMC" is considered questionable with a sore hamstring, which could give some added reps to Bennett once again as he proves that he is capable of snaring a roster spot as a reserve running back. He'll be competing with Rock Cartwright in all likelihood, who rushed for 25 yards on seven carries against the Cowboys.
It is fairly clear that the defensive mindset in Oakland is changing as well. Against Dallas, the Raiders sent blitz package after blitz package at their adversaries, picking up six sacks. Those sacks helped quell four red zone visits by Dallas, which only ended in a total of nine points.
The silver and black only allowed 263 total yards for the game and forced a pair of Matt Nichols INTs late in the game. The first pick, which was snared by DB Jerome Boyd, was returned 48 yards for the coup de grace. Rookie DB Stevie Brown intercepted a pass on the final play of the game as well.
If their first preseason game was any indication, the Bears are in a lot of trouble this season.
The only blessing that Chicago can point to in a 25-10 loss to the San Diego Chargers was that QB Jay Cutler didn't throw a pick. In fact, he only threw two passes, completing both for 47 yards. He was also sacked once.
However, the biggest problems that Chicago last year on the ground still exist. Starting RB Matt Forte only rushed for seven yards on four carries. His reserve Chester Taylor did no better, carrying the ball six times for ten yards. In fact for the game, the Bears ran the ball 21 times, picking up just 48 yards against the Bolts. If you think the Bears can overcome this and are worth a bet then take a look at the Bodog odds here and compare them to the other books!
Backup QB Caleb Hanie had his bright spots, but he had some dull ones as well. Hanie completed 10-of-17 passes for 148 yards with a TD, but he also threw a pick and lost a fumble. The play of rookie QB Dan LeFevour certainly left something to be desired, as he only went 2-for-10 for 21 yards and was sacked three times.
LeFevour could see extra snaps in this game, as Hanie sustained a jarring blow that injured his shoulder on his final drive that has him listed as questionable on the first injury report of the week.
Defensively, things weren't great for the Bears either. They allowed 335 yards worth of offense to San Diego, including letting QB Philip Rivers take the Chargers right down the field for a touchdown on the second drive of the game.
Safeties Craig Stultz and Major Wright were dinged up in the loss to the Chargers as well. Steltz's injured ankle will likely keep him out of action on Saturday. Wright, the rookie out of Florida, is listed as questionable.