+7
The Chicago Bears gave it a run, but fell short in a loss to the Oakland Raiders. For more on this game, visit Bears blog Windy City Gridiron and Raiders blog Silver And Black Pride.
So Mike Martz may have been right about Caleb Hanie. That, or Jay Cutler’s place holder is just struggling in his season debut. Hanie just threw his third interception of the first half, just minutes after completing a touchdown throw to Johnny Knox. Raiders linebacker Kamerion Wimbley picked him off and returned the ball 83 yards, giving Oakland the chance to add to the score with less than 20 seconds left in the first half.
Check out the video of Hanie’s third interception and Wimbley’s 83-yard return right here.
After a 56-yard punt return from Johnny Knox, the Bears moved the ball all the way down to Oakland’s seven-yard line. Hanie tossed a short pass to running back Matt Forte on second-and-one that resulted in his third interception.
Oakland converted the interception into three points on their fourth field goal of the game. That gave them a 12-7 lead at the half.
The Chicago Bears began life without quarterback Jay Cutler with a rough start today. Facing the Oakland Raiders in Oakland backup quarterback Caleb Hanie threw two first quarter interceptions. The Raiders capitalized on both of the turnovers, kicking two field goals to go up by a score of 6-0 in the first quarter. Hanie later redeemed himself with a 24-yard drive-saving scramble before finally connecting with Johnny Knox on a 29-yard touchdown pass.
Check out the video of one of Hanie’s interceptions in this game.
Hanie was the source of controversy earlier this season when Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz spoke poorly in public of Hanie’s ability. The Bears tried to add Kyle Orton last week, who requested his release from the Denver Broncos to fill Cutler’s spot in Chicago. Instead, the Kansas City Chiefs scooped in and claimed Orton off waivers with a higher priority than the Bears.
Chicago signed Josh McCown to backup Hanie once they lost the waiver claim on Orton. McCown played for Mike Martz one season in Detroit as a backup.
Hanie hit Knox for a 29-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to give Chicago a lead. That pass accounts for more than half of Hanie's 51 yards of passing so far. He has completed five of 12 passes with four minutes left in the first half.
Oakland Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey has been nursing a concussion, but was limited in practice most of the week. Heyward-Bey is expected to be active on Sunday as the Raiders take on the Chicago Bears, but how much playing time Heyward-Bey will receiver is still up in the air.
Heyward-Bey has been medically cleared to play and is believed to be slated to start on Sunday. He should be the primary receiving threat for quarterback Carson Palmer, as wide receivers Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore are both expected to be out of the line up dealing with injuries themselves. Heyward-Bey got off to a good start to the season, but injuries have derailed him as of late. Heyward-Bey might be a solid WR3 play in most leagues and should be available on the waiver wire if you're desperate.
For more on this match up and Darrius Heyward-Bey, visit Raiders blog Silver And Black Pride, and Bears blog Windy City Gridiron . For all your professional football needs, visit our NFL hub.
Oakland Raiders running back Darren McFadden has been ruled out for this Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears with a foot injury.
McFadden was injured during the Raiders' 28-0 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7 and has been inactive for all three of the team's games following their bye in Week 8.
According to Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network, McFadden is expected to miss next week's game against the Miami Dolphins, as well, with a target date for his return being a December 11 game against the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.
McFadden's absence means fourth-year running back Michael Bush will start and carry the bulk of the load in the Raiders' ground game. Over the last four weeks, Bush has rushed for 461 yards and two touchdowns since replacing McFadden during the Chiefs game.
For more on the Raiders, visit Silver And Black Pride.
Fourth-year quarterback Caleb Hanie will make his first NFL start for an injured Jay Cutler as the Chicago Bears attempt to extend their five-game winning streak against the Carson Palmer and the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.
The Bears lost Cutler for six-to-eight weeks with a fractured thumb on his throwing hand during last week's 31-20 win over the San Diego Chargers. After attempting to claim veteran Kyle Orton off waivers from the Denver Broncos, the Bears have no alternative but to go with Hanie, who was last seen completing 13-of-20 attempts for 153 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in place of an injured Cutler in the 2010 NFC Championship Game. Without Cutler, the Bears are expected to rely even more on running back Matt Forte, who leads the NFL with 1,391 yards from scrimmage.
Oakland has injury concerns of their own as they will be without running back Darren McFadden (foot) for a fourth straight week. Wide receiver Jacoby Ford is out, while Darrius Heyward-Bey (neck) and Denarius Moore (foot) are questionable for Sunday's game. Michael Bush is healthy, however, and has rushed for461 yards and two touchdowns over the last four games. The Bears run defense, which 30th in rushing yards allowed per play, should see a steady dose of Bush this week.
Game Date/Time: Sunday, November 27; 4:05pm ET
Location: O.com Coliseum, Oakland, California
TV Schedule
National: FOX
TV Distribution Map: The506.com
Radio Schedule
Bears: WBBM
Raiders: KITS 105.3 (LIVE 105)
For more on the Bears head over to Windy City Gridiron. For more on the Raiders, check out Silver And Black Pride. Follow the rest of the Week 12 action at SB Nation NFL.
Jay Cutler was having himself a nice little season before he decided to try to make a tackle after throwing an interception last week. The quarterback, of course, broke his thumb on the play and suddenly the Bears' season is in jeopardy. The first big test comes this weekend against the Oakland Raiders when Caleb Hanie gets his first start.
You'd think this would make the Raiders a popular pick, and that's generally the case. All four of Yahoo's experts are picking the Raiders. Although ESPN and CBS are considerably more split, the Raiders seem to be the safer bet, especially considering they are at home. Sports Illustrated's Peter King summed up the game this way:
This goes down as the first checkmark in the "Games Chicago Would Have Won Without That Fluky Broken Thumb" column.
This might not be a great game to pick in your suicide pool, it seems risky, to say the least to go with a team whose quarterback as all of 66 career passing yards.
For more analysis of this game, check out Bears blog Windy City Gridiron and Raiders blog Silver and Black Pride.
The Chicago Bears will need to turn to Caleb Hanie as their starting quarterback for the remainder of the season now that Jay Cutler is out with a broken thumb and Kyle Orton was plucked off waivers by the Kansas City Chiefs. While the team opened as 1-1/2 point favorites over the Oakland Raiders, the line has since moved in favor of the Raiders to four points, according to Odds Shark.
Jay Cutler's injury also significantly moved the over/under from 46 points to 41 points. Hanie has never started an NFL game and he could be in for a rude awakening when that happens. The Bears' potential playoffs now seem to depend on what kind of offense Hanie will be able to put up. Should he fail, things would be more dire since the alternative is recently signed Josh McCown or rookie Nathan Enderle.
And while it appears Darren McFadden might not play for another week, Michael Bush has proven to be more than adequate, rushing for 266 yards and two touchdowns in his last two games.
Odds Shark has more NFL Week 12 odds and lines. For more on this game, check out Bears blog Windy City Gridiron and Raiders blog Silver and Black Pride. Be sure to visit SB Nation NFL for more on Week 12's action.
VIDEO: Shane Lechler 80-Yard Punt Puts Him In The Record Book
Oakland Raiders punter Shane Lechler set a new franchise record with an 80-yard punt today. Lechler’s punt came in the second quarter after the Raiders offense produced another three-and-out against the Chicago Bears. Lechler broke the franchise’s previous record of 77 yards held by Wayne Crow, who set it in 1961.
Check out the video of Lechler’s amazing punt right here.
Of course, the only downside to a punt of that magnitude was that it gave the Bears a touchback. Chicago drove to the Raiders’ 35-yard line and kicked a field goal. That cut the Raiders lead to 18-15.
Oakland’s special teams are playing a big role in this game. Kicker Sebastian Janikowski has done all of the scoring for Oakland, booting six field goals, including a 47-yarder. Janikowski set a record of his own today. His six field goals are a new franchise record for the most in a single game.
Nov 27 7:03p by Ryan Van Bibber - 0 comments