Las Vegas Raiders vs Chicago Bears NFL Week 5 Preview

Las Vegas Raiders vs Chicago Bears Predictions

WagerTalk handicapper Tony Mejia offers his Las Vegas Raiders vs Chicago Bears NFL Week 5 betting preview. At the time of posting, the Raiders are a -5.5 home favorite over the Bears with the total sitting at 44.5 points.

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Raiders vs Bears Betting Preview

Las Vegas made a run after falling behind 21-0 and nearly caught the Chargers in L.A. before falling short on Monday night, pulling within a score and regaining possession with a chance to tie it in the fourth quarter. Head coach Jon Gruden wasn’t pleased with his defense’s inability to make plays when in mattered most and felt his offense struggled to protect Derek Carr early as he failed to get in a rhythm, but the Raiders nevertheless fought hard and nearly thrilled a partisan crowd at the new SoFi Stadium that still supports them despite the fact the Raiders haven’t played in Los Angeles since 1994.

The Raiders now look to benefit from some home cooking in their own new stadium as they aim to improve to 3-0 at the “Death Star,” where they’ve secured overtime wins against the Ravens and Dolphins in Year 2 of their run in Las Vegas, where they’ve packed their new house now that fans are allowed back in attendance.

Although it will be coming off a short week, Las Vegas will look to pick up its first cover in a favorite’s role as Chicago arrives in search of its first road victory. The Bears come off a 24-14 Week 4 victory over Detroit that saw rookie QB Justin Fields settle in with his best performance, throwing for 209 yards on just 11 completions one week after he finished just 6-for-20 for 68 yards while being sacked nine times in 26-6 loss to Cleveland.

Andy Dalton may be ready to return after missing time with a bone bruise in his knee but head coach Matt Nagy stated mid-week that Fields has earned the job going forward. It’s a reversal from his previous inclination that Dalton, an 11-year veteran, would be his starter when healthy.

Chicago RB David Montgomery softened up the Lions defense by running for 106 yards and two touchdowns but left early with a knee injury that will keep him out at least a month. Early reports hinted at a likely hyperextension and nothing significant, but Montgomery is likely to land on IR.

Damien Williams, who found the end zone last week and has plenty of experience facing the Raiders from his days with Kansas City, will fill in at running back. Fields will also add a boost on the ground considering he’s always a threat to escape the pocket and take off. Between Robinson, Darnell Mooney and tight end Cole Kmet, Fields has plenty of targets to try and hurt the Raiders with after they struggled to keep L.A.’s Justin Herbert from racking up one first down after another to keep Carr and the offense off the field.

Las Vegas’ offense will have to deal with Khalil Mack, formerly Oakland’s No. 5 overall pick back in 2014. He was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year back in 2017 but held out and was moved in one of Gruden’s most controversial moves upon his return to the Raiders.

The Raiders won the most recent matchup between these teams back in October of ’19 by a 24-21 score in London’s new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which will host the Falcons and Jets on Sunday in the latest installment of NFL’s International Series initiative. Chicago trailed 17-0 at the break but rallied to take a lead only to lose on Josh Jacobs 2-yard TD run with under 2:00 remaining.

With Montgomery out and Fields back out on the road, laying the 5.5 points with Las Vegas looks like the move. The Browns embarrassed the Fields-led Bears when he took the field for his first NFL start on Sept. 26, so crowd noise and unfamiliar surroundings will be obstacles for the rookie to overcome. He won’t be facing the Lions either, and must be prepared for the possibility that a suspect offensive line won’t be able to effectively block the likes of Maxx Crosby, Yannick Ngakoue and Carl Nassib.

Las Vegas RB Josh Jacobs isn’t 100 percent due to an ankle injury but did manage to play through the issue against the Chargers, returning from a two-game absence. He’s been limited in practice this week but is likely to be back out there to give Carr a full complement of weapons alongside tight end Darren Waller and receivers Henry Ruggs, Bryan Edwards and Hunter Renfroe. Back Las Vegas to beat the Bears at home convincingly.

Spicy thread…Chargers/Raiders play in Las Vegas in Week 18..1/9/22 https://t.co/hk8rNtMOTy

— Tony Mejia (@MejiaDinero) October 5, 2021

Las Vegas Raiders vs Chicago Bears Analysis from The GoldSheet

The Raiders are 3-7 against the spread in their first ten home games in Allegiant Stadium, but Chicago has been a money-burner on the road (2-6 against the spread in the Bears’ last eight road games). All eyes will be on Justin Fields, but the Bears losing RB David Montgomery could potentially be a pretty big blow to the Bears’ offense. Montgomery’s replacement, Damien Williams, should know the Raiders pretty well after facing them several times as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs but he presents a different dynamic than what Montgomery provides.

Raiders vs Bears Preview

WagerTalk NFL handicappers Drew Martin, Andy Lang and Andrew McInnis offer their Las Vegas Raiders vs Chicago Bears betting preview in advance of Sunday’s NFL Week 5 showdown at Allegiant Stadium.

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