Oakland Raiders: Keys To Victory Over Chicago Bears

Sep 27, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Oakland Raiders safety

(24) celebrates with teammates

(29) and

(42) after intercepting a pass in the final minute against the Cleveland Browns in a NFL game at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Raiders defeated the Browns 27-20. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland Raiders roll into the Windy City in a position they haven’t been in for quite a while – favorites. That presumably has as much to do with how well the team is playing as it does with the turmoil and upheaval in the Bears’ locker room and front office. Regardless of what the line may be though, the Raiders will be looking to add their third win in four games this season.

The fact that the Raiders have the chance to go 3-1 to open the season is a feat that very, very few of the “experts” in the sports media complex believed possible. A lot of those “experts” in fact, predicted that the Raiders would win three, maybe four games for the entire season. Many of them even predicted that this was going to be another long, miserable season for the Silver and Black.

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So if nothing else, it’s nice to see that with each game they win this season, they’re essentially giving double middle fingers to blowhards of Stephen A. Smith.

But there is still much work to do yet, and that work begins in Chicago. At 0-3 and with nothing but turmoil surrounding the team, the temptation might be to overlook a team that appears down and out. Given the state of the Bears, there might be a natural inclination to look beyond a winless team to a matchup with a hated division rival – and the current kings of the division – in the Denver Broncos the following week.

But that would be a huge mistake to do so.

HC Jack Del Rio laughs off the suggestion that the Raiders will overlook the Bears, and we can hope that he’s right. The Bears are a proud team and one that, despite a recent flurry of roster moves, still has some talent on the roster – talent that could make the Raiders’ afternoon a miserable one if they’re not careful.

Things are changing in Oakland and the team is beginning to learn how to win. It hasn’t always been pretty so far this season, but the “W” is all that matters. If they can take advantage of the misfortune of the Bears – something they absolutely must learn to do – the Raiders have a very solid chance of squaring off with Denver with a share of the division lead on the line.

But first, they have to handle their business in Chicago. And here are a few keys to doing just that and sending the Bears to an 0-4 start.

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