Chicago Bears vs Oakland Raiders Betting Preview
The Chicago Bears were in the midst of five-game winning streak, and then something unthinkable happened. Quarterback Jay Cutler went down possibly for the season with a broken thumb.
When: 4:05 PM ET, Sunday, November 27, 2011
Where: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, CA
TV: CBS
LINE: -3.5 (Oakland), O/U 42.5
They will now have to rely on untested Caleb Hanie as they travel to Oakland to play a Raiders team that have won back-to-back road games to move to the top of the AFC West.
An undrafted free agent in 2008 out of Colorado State, Hanie will make his first career start for Chicago, after playing a total of four regular-season games since 2009, completing eight of 14 passes for 66 yards and one interception.
The 26-year olds moment in the spotlight came when he replaced injured Cutler and an ineffective Todd Collins in January’s NFC Championship Game loss to the Green Bay Packers, performing well and completing 13 of 20 passes for 153 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
With the blow to the offense, Chicago will need it’s big-play defense, led by linebacker Brian Urlacher, to step up. Something they didn’t do a week ago against San Diego.
Meanwhile, Oakland who lost starting quarterback Jason Campbell back in Week 6, can relate to Chicago’s quarterback dilemma. However, the Raiders filled the void left by Campbell by picking up veteran quarterback Carson Palmer from Cincinnati.
And it’s paid off. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
After throwing six interceptions in his first two games, Palmer has been outstanding in wins at San Diego and Minnesota.
He along with running back Michael Bush, who has rolled up back-to-back 100-yard games, are leading the Oakland offensive charge.
Bush, a question for many Raiders fans, has stepped up to task, and is averaging 115.3 yards per game rushing since Darren McFadden went down with a foot sprain. Bush has carried the ball 30 times in each of the last two games, allowing the Raiders to control the clock. That could be key with their WR corps racked by injuries.
Defensively, Oakland has piled up 11 sacks in the last two games and are tied with Houston for second in the AFC with 28.
Not good news for the Bears, but Hanie, who is known for his mobility, may get to run a little Tim Tebow offense along with RBs Matt Forte, who leads the league with 1,391 yards from scrimmage, and Marion Barber who will likely see an increase in their workload in an attempt to ease the pressure on Hanie.
Matt’s Prediction: Oakland 24 , Chicago 17 —
Chicago hasn’t won six straight games since opening the 2006 Super Bowl season with seven wins in a row, and with the loss of Cutler, I Look for the Raiders to makes it three straight and spoils Hanie’s first start.
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