Studs and duds from Bears' narrow win vs. Raiders

The Chicago Bears defeated the Las Vegas Raiders, 25-24, in a win that came down to a blocked field goal by cornerback Josh Blackwell to seal the game and send the Bears to the bye week at 2-2.

The Bears defense once again rose to the occasion, holding Raiders quarterback Geno Smith to 117 passing yards and three interceptions. Chicago totaled four takeaways, which played a key role in aiding a struggling Bears offense that didn't get going until the second half. Special teams also game up big for Chicago as kicker Cairo Santos connected on multiple 50-plus-yard field goals while Blackwell came away with the blocked field goal.

Meanwhile, quarterback Caleb Williams was hounded by Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby all game, and Chicago's run game once again struggled. Still, the offense came away with two second-half touchdowns to help get the team the much-needed victory.

With that in mind, here's a look at the studs and duds from the Bears' big win over the Raiders:

Stud: S Kevin Byard

The Bears' defensive MVP was easily safety Kevin Byard, who had the biggest game of his Chicago career. Byard totaled seven tackles (second most), including one tackle for loss, and two interceptions in the first half. In fact, Byard has three interceptions in the last two games. Byard was a huge force in this Bears secondary, which held Geno Smith to 117 passing yards and forced three interceptions.

Dud: TE Cole Kmet

Cole Kmet picked the worst time to have the worst game of his career with rookie Colston Loveland sidelined with a hip injury. Kmet, who had three catches for 46 yards, had more negative plays than positive ones in this narrow victory. He had several drops and committed multiple penalties that set the Bears offense back on several drives. Perhaps his worst moment came at the beginning of the second quarter, where Kmet dropped a beautiful pass from Caleb Williams, which would've set Chicago up for first-and-goal from the 5-yard line. What followed was a fumble, sack and punt.

Stud: K Cairo Santos

For all intents and purposes, Cairo Santos was the Bears offense for most of this game. Santos connected on all four of his field goals, including two field goals from 50-plus yards, and his lone extra point attempt. And given the game wound up being a one-point win for Chicago, those were huge moments for the Bears. Especially as Daniel Carlson's game-winning field goal was blocked in the final seconds.

Dud: Bears run defense

Chicago's defense played an inspired game, where they were able to hold Geno Smith to 117 passing yards and forced four turnovers. But one of their biggest weaknesses continues to be run defense, and they paved the way for Raiders rookie Ashton Jeanty's breakout game. Jeanty totaled 138 yards on 21 carries (averaging 6.6 yards per carry) and one touchdown while adding two catches for 17 yards and two receiving scores. Chicago allowed 240 total rushing yards, where ball carriers averaged 7.7 yards per carry.

Stud: CB Josh Blackwell

Special teams played a huge role in this win for Chicago, and the biggest play came on the final play. The Bears might not have won the game if not for cornerback Josh Blackwell, who had the game-saving, blocked 54-yard field goal attempt from Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson with 38 seconds remaining. Blackwell has emerged as a core special teams contributor for the Bears, and he showed why coming up clutch in a game where Chicago struggled at times.

Dud: Bears run game

Just as the Bears run defense is a weakness, the Bears rushing game has been the Achille's heel on offense. Chicago has failed to get the run game going all season, and the struggles continued in Week 4 against the Raiders. The Bears totaled just 69 rushing yards -- where D'Andre Swift led the way with 14 carries for 38 yards (2.7 yards per carry) and a score and rookie Kyle Monangai added four carries for 18 yards (4.5 yards per carry). Quarterback Caleb Williams had eight carries for 16 yards.

Stud: CB Tyrique Stevenson

Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson has really stepped up in the last couple of weeks with injuries to Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon and Terell Smith. After notching a fumble in last week's win over the Dallas Cowboys, Stevenson once again came away with a key takeaway that helped the defense hold steady in a close win. Stevenson picked off Geno Smith (one of three total interceptions for the Raiders QB) on the first play of the second half, which set the Bears up on the Raiders 27-yard line. Seven plays later, Chicago scored its first touchdown of the game. Stevenson finished with six tackles and two pass breakups to go along with the pick.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Raiders: Studs and duds from Chicago's Week 4 win