That headline says it all. While you'd like the wins to be pretty, anytime you have another and win connected together it is a good thing. In this case it means the Raiders are 7-4, in first place in the AFC West and just one game back for the best record in the conference.
That was a glorious sentence to type.
As for this game, my goodness. The Raiders are true geniuses at making every win a nail biter. When Michael Bush plowed in for the Raiders only touchdown to give them a 25-13 lead, with just under four minutes left, I thought finally this team would get a win that wasn't hanging in the balance on the final possession.
That was a foolish thought. The Raiders promptly forced the Bears into a third and 16. They then let the Bears hit for a 500-yard pass play. And let the Bears score two plays later.
The Bears then lined up for an onside kick, and it looked like they recovered it. Luckily for the Raider David Ausberry was able to bully the ball away from the Bears.
This win adds to a remarkable stat for the Raiders. In six of their seven wins the opposing team has had a chance to at win the game with a TD and 2-point conversion on their final possession.
While the Raiders should have put this game out of reach with a better performance in the red zone, what they did accomplish is impressive.
The Raiders put up 25 points on an excellent defense. That is the fourth most points the Bears have allowed all season, and it was the most since Week 4. And they did this against the best the Bears' defense had to offer.
Chicago's defense was fired up for this game. The coaching staff had challenged the Bears' defensive line during the week and they responded with their best effort of the season. They dominated the Raiders' offensive line.
The Bears defense clearly rallied to make up for the loss of Cutler, and the Raiders were still able to defeat them. They likely won't face another defensive effort as solid as this for the rest of the regular season.
And they did this all without huge playmakers Darren McFadden, Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore. The offense benefited from great field position, but they still made some key plays in big moments.
There is a lot the Raiders need to improve on. Hopefully they will start to get healthy to facilitate them in this effort. And in the meantime they head into December with their best record since they went to the Super Bowl.
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