It’s typically hard to draw a lot from the result of a preseason game. But when the result is as clear-cut and decisive as the Chicago Bears’ rampage over the Oakland Raiders in the first half of Friday night’s 34-26 win, you can draw certain conclusions.
Bears vs. Raiders: Oakland fans compare preseason rout to 2-14 season, Bears pleased
When even Raiders fans seem surprised their team is playing so poorly, you know things are bad. The good news in Oakland, after the Bears blew the doors off the Raiders Friday night, is that perhaps Terrelle Pryor could improve the situation.
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For example, Silver and Black Pride concluded that the Raiders might be in some trouble after going down 24-0 before the first-teamers came out of the game early in the second quarter. And that’s coming from a fanbase that’s seen its share of bad teams recently:
The last time the Raiders looked this bad was 2006, when the team had their worst season in their decade of futility. That was the infamous 2-14 team that earned the Raiders the number one overall pick in the following draft they used to draft JaMarcus Russell. That is what this game felt like in microcosm.
Damn.
However, there’s hope. Terrelle Pryor came in and quickly reinvigorated Oakland, tossing one touchdown and winding his way into the end zone for another on a 25-yard dash. Considering Matt Flynn went just 3-for-6 with two interceptions, they think there’s a QB controversy afoot:
The final preseason game for the Raiders might actually hold some rare weight. A game that usually has just backups and roster hopefuls might actually be used as a platform to prove who is worthy of the starting QB position.
Even if Flynn keeps the job, doubt has crept in along with some newfound confidence in Pryor’s abilities. With a spark waiting to get his shot, Flynn is no longer a lock to be the starter and a real competition has arisen.
For Chicago, it was a pleasant win. Over at Windy City Gridiron, the message was clear cut:
Not a whole lot else to really say. The Bears’ first-team offense looked fantastic, except for the drops. The rest of it, not so much, but plenty of the guys on the deeper depth chart won’t be around as of Tuesday, so it won’t matter. We can be encouraged the first-team offense did something we just flat out aren’t used to - executing against a defense they should execute again.
Perhaps the most noteworthy things they took from the game were a seemingly competent offensive line -- not a luxury Jay Cutler and Matt Forte have had over the years -- and how Cutler’s ability to wait in the pocket diversified the team’s passing game from ALL BRANDON MARSHALL EVERYTHING.
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