Bears vs. Raiders: 8 Chicago Players Who Need to Step Up Most
Published by Timothy Hockemeyer on November 25, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Sunday, when the Bears invade Oakland, it will be a whole new ballgame. Bears Nation will be watching with breath held and knuckles white as Caleb Hanie makes his first NFL start.
But the entire game does not rest just on Hanie’s shoulders—even if he has a Cutler-esque game, the Bears could falter without several other players stepping up their game.
Oakland is a far better team than they have been in recent past, and the Bears must bring their A-game to win.
Oakland has earned its 6-4 record on the back of its running assault, led by Darren McFadden and Michael Bush. McFadden has been out since Week 7, but could make his return this week—even without him, Michael Bush as been tearing it up in recent weeks, recording 461 rushing yards on 96 carries and 150 receiving yards on nine receptions in the past four weeks.
Making matters worse is that the Raiders’ pass protection unit is third in the league in sacks allowed.
On the other side of the ball, their defense is a pass-rushing nightmare. The team’s 28 sacks are sixth in the league and only three off the pace of the league-leading Vikings.
This is not a make-or-break game for the Bears in terms of wild-card positioning. But in terms of momentum and confidence for a team making a late-season quarterback change mid-charge to the playoffs, this is a very important game.
And so today, we look at eight players who must step up for the Bears to win in Oakland.
