Raiders Fall To Bears 34-26

OAKLAND, Calif. – There were some positives for the Silver and Black during the Friday, Aug. 23 preseason match up against the Bears. However, after the game was over, those positives might be overlooked.

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Oakland Raiders first round draft pick D.J. Hayden played in his first NFL action Friday Aug. 23 against the Chicago Bears.

For the first time this preseason the Raiders first round draft pick D.J. Hayden put on a uniform and hit the field. However, he would be taken to the cleaners in the first quarter as the Bears Jay Cutler hit Matt Forte out of the backfield on a 32-yard swing pass for a score.

After Forte’s score the Bears were up 10-0 over a Raiders squad that looked helpless against the team that was looking to rebound after a 10-6 season that saw them miss the playoffs.

But that wasn’t the end for the Bears first half trouncing of the Raiders.

Former Raider, Michael Bush tacked on a 10-yard touchdown rush through a barrage of tacklers as the Bears took a 17-0 lead after Robbie Gould hit his second extra point of the night.

The second quarter saw the Bears offense continue to man handle the Raiders weak defensive line.

Again it was Bush who found the end zone, this time on a one-yard push. With the Gould extra point kick it was 24-0 with almost the entire second quarter to play.

The Bears would tack on another three-points with 1:06 left in the half as Gould hit his second kick, this time a 53-yard attempt to put the score at 27-0.

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Oakland Raiders projected starting quarterback Matt Flynn might have played his way out of the starting job. It would be the second time in as many years Flynn lost out to a backup.

The Raiders would finally get on the board as Terelle Pryor came into the game after Matt Flynn had been pulled after tossing two interceptions. Pryor led the offense 40-yards on five plays in just over one minute to set up Sebastian Janikowski’s second field goal attempt of the game. He missed the first, a 49-yard kick wide right as he was forced to kick from the infield dirt in the first quarter.

Janikowski would connect on his second kick, a 58-yard attempt with time expiring in the first half to give the Oakland fans their first and only points of the half.

Up 27-3, the Bears took all of their starters out of the game in the second half as the Raiders looked to make the score closer.

After the Bears second team offense led by Josh McCown faltered to convert on a third and long Adam Podlesh punted to the Raiders. A penalty on the Bears for illegal formation set the Raiders up with good field position, at their own 42.

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Oakland Raiders backup running back Rashad Jennings will look to spell starting running back Darren McFadden in the upcoming season.

Pryor would take advantage of the backup defense immediately. He would lead the team down field along with the help of former Jacksonville Jaguars backup running back Rashad Jennings. The offense would go 58-yards on five plays for the score, a Pryor scramble from 25-yards out. With the score and the Janikowski extra point kick the score was 27-10.

The Raiders Reggie Smith would recover a fumble on a third down as McCown and backup center Taylor Boggs missed communication on a snap. The recovery by Smith set the Raiders offense up with great field position on the 34 of Chicago. However, even with great field position the offense was not able to reach the end zone, falling back on another Janikowski field goal attempt. Janikowski would notch his second make of the night this time from 30-yards out to put the score at 27-13.

The Raiders defense would force another turnover off McCown as Joselio Hanson intercepted a pass intended for Eric Weems. Hanson was tackled down at the 23, giving the Raiders great field position once again.

This time the Raiders offense would find the end zone with their food position as Pryor hit rookie tight end Nick Kasa on an 18-yard strike over the middle, in which Kasa leaned back for the score. With the Janikowski extra point kick the score was 27-20.

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Oakland Raiders projected backup quarterback Terrell Pryor's play Friday Aug. 23 against the Chicago Bears might have earned him the starting role going into the regular season. He will start the Raiders final preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2013.

The Raiders defense once again help the Bears down, this time forcing a punt, setting up the offense with a 1-10 from their own 11. With Pryor on the bench in favor of getting another quarterback reps, the Raiders offense faltered as Matt McGloin after missing on two of his first three attempts threw an interception on his fourth pass as C.J. Wilson of Chicago jumped the pass intended for Jacoby Ford.

The fourth quarter saw the Bears reach the end zone first. With the ball on the Raiders side of the field the Bears wasted no time adding to their lead as Jesse Palmer and Matt Ford led the offense to a score as Ford rushed for 40-yards on three plays for a score. With the Gould extra point kick it was 34-20.

The Raiders would reach the end zone one more time as McGloin led the team 88-yards on 10 plays with a five-yard touchdown pass to Jamize Olawale. But that would be the end of the Raiders scoring on the night as the two-point conversion attempt by McGloin to Tray Sessions landed incomplete.
The final score was 34-26 in favor of Chicago.

The Raiders dropped to 1-2 in the preseason while the Bears raised their record to 2-1.
The Raiders final preseason match up is slated for this Thursday, Aug. 29 against the Seattle Seahawks. The game is at Centurylink Field in Seattle, Wash. Kick off is scheduled for 7 p.m.