Bears vs. Raiders Game Balls: Just Win Baby

It was ugly at times, but a win is a win.

“Just win baby.”

Despite a porous run defense, and no real run game of their own, the Chicago Bears fought their way to a 25-24 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.

No matter how you slice it, this team is in an infinitely better position heading into their bye at 2-2 than they would have been at 1-3. The Bears have some time now to get healthy and keep hope alive that they can pick up enough wins after the bye week to keep things interesting late into the season. We haven’t seen that around these parts in quite some time.

Let’s get into this week’s game balls.

Special Teams Game Balls: Josh Blackwell, Cairo Santos

We’ll go with two from the special teams unit this week. First of all, how can you not go with Blackwell?

After being on the receiving end of some heartbreaking losses in recent years, including our own blocked would-be game winning field goal last year against Green Bay, it felt so good to see the Bears finally walk out as the benefactor of one of these situations on Sunday.

Blackwell had the perfect jump on the Raiders’ field goal snap, darting across the line of scrimmage at the exact moment the ball started moving. That was no accident, as Blackwell later revealed that Bears long snapper Scott Daly told him that that Raiders long snapper Jacob Bobenmoyer had a “tell” on his snaps.

It worked out perfectly and all of Bears nation exhaled with relief. Blackwell made a hell of an impressive play, diving with outstretched arms to knock the kick away.

And we should also give Bears kicker Cairo Santos his due this week. Many of us have been frustrated with him in recent weeks, myself included, due to the limitations of his range on both kickoffs and field goals. But Santos came through in a big way this week. Even though the Bears opted to not kick a 57 yard field goal in the first half, they still let their kicker have his opportunities as he connected from 46, 43, 52, and 51. The team doesn’t win without those kicks, period.

Defense Game Balls: Tyrique Stevenson, Kevin Byard III

If the Bears offense would have been more consistent, the team would have put the game away early due to the turnovers that the defense forced. But even so, the turnovers kept the Raiders from potentially putting up even more points and was a key to the victory.

Leading the way was Byard, who had two interceptions, seven tackles (five solo), two passes defended, and one tackle for loss.

But it wasn’t just the big interceptions. It was also Byard’s tackle of Ashton Jeanty on the Raiders’ final drive of the game that was a key piece of the Bears’ victory. On 3rd and 2, with 43 seconds left in the game, Byard was able to tackle Jeanty for a loss of one yard. Give how poorly the Bears played Jeanty throughout the game (he averaged 6.6 yards per carry), this play was gigantic and forced a long 54 yard field goal, making the block much more likely.

Tyique Stevenson continues his ascension as a key playmaker this year for the Bears defense. He finished the game with six tackles (four solo), two passes defended, and one interception that was one of the most athletic I’ve ever seen.

Offense Game Ball: Rome Odunze

Odunze continued the absolute heater he has been on so far in 2025, clearly proving to be the young wideouts breakout season. This week, he did it in his hometown of Las Vegas.

The second year WR had four catches, 69 yards, and one touchdown. He has scored in each of the Bears’ first four games this year. He ranks top ten in several major statistical categories: yards (10th), touchdowns (2nd), and targets (7th). He’s clearly the go-to guy for QB Caleb Williams, and the two have developed a chemistry and trust factor that is undeniable.

Check out the anticipation by Caleb on the TD throw to Odunze below:

And speaking of trust, “The Flying Zaccheaus” also deserves a shoutout. I didn’t give him a game ball, but he’s becoming another reliable option for Williams in short to medium range targets, showing up on the stat sheet every week. Against the Raiders, Zaccheaus led the team with five receptions, two of which were for first downs. That was good for 41 yards. He had more targets (6) than DJ Moore (5) in the game.

Bryan Orenchuk and myself will have plenty to say this week on a new episode of Bears Over Beers. We’ll be live on Wednesday night on the 2nd City GridironYouTube channel, or available on demand via your favorite podcasting platform after. Our 2nd City Gridiron Podcast Channel is available on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, Audacy, and other popular podcast platforms.

Who would have received your game balls? Let us know in the comments section below.