Bears' defense can't look down on anyone, especially with Raiders' star power on offense

The Bears’ defense is barely removed from allowing the most points by any team in the NFL this season, so they’re in no position to underestimate anybody.

While the Raiders have sputtered offensively, averaging just 17.7 points, they still have star power. When the Bears visit them on Sunday, three players could cause serious problems for them: quarterback Geno Smith, rookie running back Ashton Jeanty and tight end Brock Bowers.

Smith has been in the league 13 seasons, Bowers was All-Pro as a rookie last season and, at No. 6 overall, Jeanty was the highest-drafted running back since Saquon Barkley.

The Bears have talked up Smith all week, but he’s past his prime as he approaches 35. He has piled up 831 yards, but done it inefficiently. He ranks 21st in passer rating (84.3), 22nd in completion percentage (63.2) and has thrown four interceptions.

The pitfall with facing any experienced quarterback, however, is that even if his physical ability has declined, he offsets that with knowledge. If the Bears leave him enough time in the pocket, which has been an ongoing concern, he’s sure to detect any lapses in their secondary.

“Geno's played a lot of football, he's been in a lot of different systems and he's seen a lot of different things,” Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said Thursday before practice. “If you just line up in one thing every time and he knows exactly what you're doing, you're creating some [problems] for yourself. You’ve got to make him figure some things out on the run.

“If we're doing a great job of covering the routes, yet we're not speeding up his process up front, then it becomes a long day, too.”

The Bears are near the bottom of the league with five sacks and have gotten one apiece from highly paid defensive ends Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo.

The defense could help itself by taking away the run, but there’s no evidence the Bears can do that. In the 31-14 win over the Cowboys, they allowed 7.6 yards per carry to running back Javonte Williams. Opponents are getting 5.5 yards per rush against the Bears, second-worst in the NFL.

That undoubtedly has Jeanty eying a breakthrough. He has just 144 yards at 3.1 per carry and one touchdown over three games, but no one assumes he’ll continue like that.

The Bears were interested in him coming out of Boise State, but had no chance of landing him at No. 10 and quickly found the asking price to move up was way too steep.

“I thought the world of him,” coach Ben Johnson said.

When asked about Jeanty’s slow start, Johnson said, “I'm sure they are working to fix whatever issues they perceive they have.” The scary thing about the Bears is they often seem to be the cure to whatever ails their opponent.

They had a chance at Bowers, too, by the way, but passed on him in 2024 in favor of drafting wide receiver Rome Odunze ninth. At the time, before Johnson’s arrival, the Bears believed they were set at tight end with Cole Kmet.

The Raiders got Bowers four picks later, and he broke Mike Ditka’s record for yards receiving by a rookie tight end and was runner-up to Jayden Daniels for Rookie of the Year with 112 catches for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns.

Plans A and B for the Bears in defending Bowers would be nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon and linebacker T.J. Edwards, but both have been out with hamstring injuries and missed practice again Thursday.

The fact that the Raiders’ offense hasn’t taken off yet is no guarantee it won’t against the Bears. They pulled it together against the Cowboys, but that doesn’t erase the fourth-quarter meltdown against the Vikings in Week 1 or getting clobbered by the Lions for 52 points and 511 yards. They still have plenty to manage Sunday.