Chicago Bears Week 12 Predictions: 5 Trends To Continue Against the Raiders
Published by James Kries on November 23, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
In Week 12, the Chicago Bears continue the AFC West portion of their schedule when they travel to the west coast to take on the first-place Oakland Raiders. The game marks the beginning of life after quarterback Jay Cutler—who probably won’t return to the field this season after injuring his thumb late last week against the San Diego Chargers.
During a press conference this week, head coach Lovie Smith was confident that the Bears could provide Caleb Hanie with enough support during Cutler’s absence (via AOL Sporting News).
“Don’t feel sorry for us, we have a lot of things in place.”
Smith also said that the Bears would lean a little more on running back Matt Forte, and that the defense and special teams needed to continue playing at a high level (via the Chicago Tribune).
The Bears’ first test without Cutler will be against the surging Raiders, winners of four of their last six games.
The Raiders are also familiar with the sudden loss of their quarterback. Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell was playing well this year before breaking his collarbone in Week 6, which ended his season.
The Raiders traded for former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, and despite a rocky start for the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, the Raiders have won two straight. With both teams right in the middle of their respective conferences’ playoff races, we should see the following trends continue in this Week 12 matchup between the Bears and the Raiders.
