The Las Vegas Raiders will need to have a short memory heading into their Week 4 matchup, after a 41-24 defeat to the Washington Commanders.
While the Raiders made crucial errors in all three facets of the game, they’ll be hosting a Chicago Bears team that’s coming off its best performance of the season. The Bears defense is heavily banged up going into the matchup, but their offense continues to showcase a more explosive side, led by their new head coach Ben Johnson.
Here are three matchups to follow for Sunday’s game as both teams try to avoid a 1-3 start to the season.
Caleb Williams vs. Raiders pass rush
This will be a long game for the Raiders defense if they allow Caleb Williams to be roam around comfortably.
The Chicago Bears quarterback is having a reverse sophomore slump through three games, showcasing why he was the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft a year ago. Last Sunday, he matched a career-high four passing touchdowns while nearly throwing for 300 yards in a 31-14 throttling over the Dallas Cowboys.
“He’s a very, very special athlete,” Pete Carroll said Wednesday, “and he’s got great sense, great awareness about throwing the football and running the football. He’ll be a prolific scrambler by the time we check out his years. He’s really good at it and throws really well on the run too.
The Raiders must win the battle at the line of scrimmage to limit the young quarterback. With no pressure, Williams has a 5:0 touchdown to interception ratio and a 111.2 passer rating. According to Next Gen Stats, that drops down to a 2:1 touchdown to interception ratio and a 93.3 passer rating with pressure.
The Raiders’ pass rush struggled last week against the Commanders, only logging in one sack from Maxx Crosby in the fourth quarter. According to Next Gen Stats, the Silver and Black are 24th in the league in team pressure percentage (30.9). It’s also worth noting the Raiders defense will need to work together to contain Williams inside the pocket. They’ve allowed 82 rushing yards to opposing quarterbacks in the first three games, and Williams has rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown so far this season.
“He’s starting to kind of figure it out in terms of figuring out when he should stay in the pocket, when he should get out of there,” Thomas Booker said of Williams. “Obviously in terms of him being improvisational and getting out of the pocket and scrambling, he can really throw the rock from that. So for us, it’s about containing him and getting as many opportunities to keep him in the pocket. Not have him run out and run wild.”
Eric Stokes vs. DJ Moore
Eric Stokeshas been an unheralded players for the Raiders defense through three games.
After dealing with various injuries that limited him over the last three seasons, he’s played 100 percent of all defensive snaps so far in 2025. Quarterbacks have gone 6-of-12 (50 percent) when targeting Stokes in coverage as he’s allowed a 67.4 passer rating and no touchdowns.
“I think he’s played great football,” Carroll said of Stokes. “I think he’s been our top guy out there. He’s challenged everything when he had his opportunities, and he’s got his wins. He’s been really clean with his hands. There’s nothing that he can’t do. I think he can really blossom into a terrific football player for us, and we’re lucky we got him.”
The Raiders’ CB1 will have the opportunity to line up against the Bears WR1 DJ Moore. With the emergence of Rome Odunze as the opposite wideout, Moore is second on the team in receptions (12) and receiving yards (135). However, with Moore being the more experienced with four seasons over 1,000 receiving yards, it would make sense to have Stokes shadow him.
Brock Bowers vs. Cole Kmet
This battle will be one of attrition between these two dynamic tight ends.
Brock Bowerssuffered a knee injury in the season opener against the New England Patriots and is still on the mend. He recorded five catches for 103 yards in Week 1. In his two games since, nine catches for 76 yards.
Fortunately for the Raiders, Bowers was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice – his first practice not in a limited capacity in over two weeks.
“He’s been making it,” Carroll said of Bowers’ injury status. “They’ve treated him well and got him to play in these games. He’s still wearing a legitimate brace that he can feel, but he’ll continue for another couple weeks having to wear that brace to be safe.”
The Bears’ top two tight ends, Cole Kmet and 2025 first-rounder Colston Loveland, are also battling through injuries. Kmet (groin) was a limited participant Wednesday while Loveland (hip) did not participate, according to the team’s injury report. This could throw a wrench in the Bears’ gameplan for Sunday, as they’ve lined up in 12 personnel on 40.8 percent of their offensive plays, third-most in the league, according to Next Gen Stats.
On the other side of the coin, Michael Mayer didn’t practice Wednesday due to a concussion. Therefore, the health of the two teams’ tight end rooms will be something to monitor throughout the week and could potentially be a huge factor in this Sunday’s game.
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The locker room prior to the Las Vegas Raiders’ arrival for their regular season away game against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium.
Michael Clemens/Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce’s (51) jersey in the locker room prior to the Raiders’ arrival for their regular season away game against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium.
