Biggest Takeaways from Chicago Bears' Week 4 Win

After starting the season off with three straight losses, the Chicago Bears were finally able to get a win on Sunday afternoon, defeating the Oakland Raiders 22-20 at Soldier Field.

Head coach John Fox was happy for his players, his staff and the fans after recording his first victory as head coach of the Bears.

“Any time you work as hard as all those guys work—coaches, players, staff members—obviously it’s a lot more gratifying when you win, and that was our first opportunity," Fox said, per Kevin Fishbain of ChicagoFootball.com. "I was really, really happy to see smiles in there. And I’m really happy for our fans, because we haven’t exactly lit it up here in our first two home games.”

The Bears will hit the road in Week 5 to take on the 1-3 Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium next Sunday, and they will be looking to earn their second win of the season.

What are our biggest takeaways from Chicago's victory over the Oakland Raiders in Week 4?

Jay Cutler Is Chicago's Most Important Offensive Player

Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

After missing the final two quarters of Chicago's loss against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2 and sitting out last week's loss to the Seattle Seahawks with a hamstring injury, quarterback Jay Cutler returned to the field in Week 4.

Cutler completed 28 of his 43 passing attempts for 281 yards, and he finished the game with two touchdowns, one interception and a quarterback rating of 89.4. 

He played a little stiff and was not willing to run for extra yards, but he showed poise in the pocket when the Bears needed him the most. After the game, Fox praised his quarterback's effort.

"He's one tough son-of-a-buck," Fox said, per the Chicago Tribune's Rich Campbell. "Hats off to his toughness."

The Bears went up against a stout Seattle defense last week, but the offense was forced to punt on all 10 possessions without Cutler under center.

Cutler did throw an interception late in the fourth quarter on Sunday that helped set up a go-ahead field goal by Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski, but Cutler bounced back on the next possession and helped lead Chicago down the field to set up Robbie Gould's game-winning field goal.

Chicago's offense looked completely out of sorts in Week 3 against Seattle, but the offense functioned at a high level Sunday afternoon with Cutler under center. He is going to make his fair share of questionable throws every game, but the veteran quarterback proved on Sunday he is the team's most important player on offense.

Injuries on Both Sides of the Ball Are a Concern Moving Forward

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

Center Will Montgomery will likely miss an extended period of time after breaking his fibula in Sunday's game against Oakland.

The Bears were lucky to get Cutler back under center on Sunday afternoon, but they were hit by the injury bug again in Week 4.

In the middle of the team's opening possession, center Will Montgomery limped off the field after the third play of the game. The Bears later announced the veteran center would not be able to return due to an ankle injury.

With Montgomery out of the game, the Bears were forced to move left guard Matt Slauson to center, and they used Patrick Omameh at left guard. Slauson had trouble with some shotgun snaps, and one exchange between him and Cutler resulted in a fumble recovered by Oakland, but he played well despite having limited experience at the position.

"To have Matt Slauson calling out the Mike points was kind of strange at first, but he's a really bright guy," said right tackle Kyle Long, per ChicagoBears.com. "If Will Montgomery can't go, then he's the guy who should be in there. I think he did a great job of orchestrating the offense."

After the game, Fox said Montgomery broke his fibula, according to the team's official Twitter account.

"That's not what you want to see," Slauson said about Montgomery's injury after the game, per ChicagoBears.com. "I don't want to see it. Will was my guy, he's a great, great player for us. He's what sets the whole offense. I knew I was in that position. Definitely not as comfortable with it, but the guys battled."

Slauson played well enough at center, but Montgomery's injury may open up the door for rookie Hroniss Grasu to start in Week 5 at center.

The Bears drafted Grasu in the third round of this year's draft, but the former Oregon Duck has not been active for a game this season. He is an athletic offensive lineman who does a nice job of getting to the second level, but he struggled in the preseason against strong defensive linemen. 

In addition to Montgomery's injury, starting strong safety Antrel Rolle left the game with an ankle injury early in the second half.

“Thank God nothing is broken,” Rolle said after the game, per Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. “It could have been a lot worse than what it really is. The X-rays came back negative. … I’m going to keep grinding and just keep on pushing. I plan on being back in no time.”

Rolle was replaced by undrafted rookie Harold Jones-Quartey, and the young safety held his own in his first extended look in the NFL. Rolle has had his ups and downs this season, but he is one of the team's veteran leaders. If Rolle is out for an extended period of time, expect opposing offenses to challenge Jones-Quartey in pass coverage if he remains the starter.

Veteran CB Tracy Porter Held His Own Against Rookie WR Amari Cooper

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On Sunday afternoon, veteran cornerback Tracy Porter got his first start on the outside as a member of the Bears opposite of second-year man Kyle Fuller. According to Bob LeGere of the Daily Herald, Porter got the start at cornerback because Alan Ball was dealing with a groin injury.

“Coming into this week, I was locked in and ready to go and preparing like they were going to call my number,” Porter said after the game, per Fishbain. “They did call my number and I was ready to go out there.”

Porter spent four years with the New Orleans Saints from 2008 to 2011, one year with the Denver Broncos in 2012, one with the Oakland Raiders in 2013 and he was with the Washington Redskins last season before landing in Chicago this offseason.

The veteran cornerback has struggled with injuries throughout his career, and he was inactive for Chicago's first two games of the year because of a hamstring injury. The Bears kept him on the roster even though he was unable to do much in training camp and the preseason, but Fox talked about the veteran cornerback's intelligence earlier this offseason.

"He's smart," Fox said, per Campbell. "He knows how to cover. He has excellent ball skills. He has been with a couple of teams since I last had him, but I like what I've seen so far. We're hoping he helps us."

During the early part of Sunday's game, the Bears opted to shadow rookie wide receiver Amari Cooper with Porter. The former Alabama star was coming off back-to-back 100-plus-yard receiving games, but he was limited to just four catches for 49 yards in Week 4.

“For me to follow Amari around, it’s just what they asked me to do," he said, per Fishbain. "I was like, ‘If that’s what you want, I’ll do it, coach.'"

Porter was willing to jam Cooper at the line of scrimmage, and he did a nice job of altering Cooper's routes off the snap of the ball. Even if Ball is healthy enough to play in Week 5, Porter could end up pushing Sherrick McManis for playing time at nickelback against Kansas City.

Chicago's Defense Is Beginning to Come into Its Own Under Vic Fangio

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Sam Acho recovered a fumble in Chicago's 22-20 victory over Oakland.

Chicago's defense recorded its first four sacks of the season in Week 3 against Seattle, and the unit played well again Sunday against Oakland.

A week after recording seven tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss and four quarterback hits, outside linebacker Pernell McPhee recorded eight tackles, one interception, one tackle for loss and one pass deflection.

“He brings the fire. He brings the wood,” said outside linebacker Sam Acho about McPhee, per Jahns. “And we feed off of it.”

Although McPhee was unable to record a sack, he made big plays against the run and recorded the first interception of his career.

In addition to McPhee's strong game, a pair of defensive linemen played well on Sunday afternoon. Defensive end Jarvis Jenkins recorded four tackles and registered his third sack of the season, while rookie nose tackle Eddie Goldman registered two tackles and recorded his first career sack.

Acho finished the game with three tackles and recovered one fumble, but fellow outside linebackers Lamarr Houston and Willie Young failed to make an impact.

Fuller bounced back from his poor performance in Week 2 against Arizona and finished the game with four tackles and one pass deflection. The former Virginia Tech standout's best play came in the third quarter when he was able to knock the football out of tight end Mychal Rivera's hands on a crucial third down.

Adrian Amos and Jones-Quartey held their own at safety, and inside linebackers Shea McClellin and Christian Jones did enough to slow down Oakland's running game.

The Bears still have a long ways to go if they want to be considered one of the league's best defenses, but the unit has made strides under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio this season.

The Bears were one of the NFL's worst defenses under former defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, but the unit appears to be more disciplined under Fangio. If the defense can play against Kansas City like it did against Oakland, the Bears will have a chance to improve to 2-3 on the season in Week 5.

Robbie Gould Proved He Is Still One of the League's Best Kickers

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Gould made just nine of his 12 field-goal attempts last season, but the 11-year veteran proved on Sunday he is still one of the league's best. 

He made all three of his field-goal attempts against the Raiders, including the game-winning 49-yard field goal.

"It feels great for everybody," Gould said after the game, per Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. "I think the team played really well across the board. We talked about finishing all week and I think everyone—offense, defense and special teams—did a great job giving us a chance to win at the end. When you get those opportunities, you just have to take advantage of them."

Gould did have his first extra-point attempt blocked, but he was working with a new holder in Spencer Lanning because punter Pat O'Donnell was unable to play due to a knee injury.

So far this season, Gould has hit all nine of his field-goal attempts and five of his six extra points.

According to Chicago Bears radio network sideline reporter Zach Zaidman, Gould's game-winning kick on Sunday was the 12th of his career, and it was his 10th game-winning field goal at home.

After the game, Gould talked about the pressure of kicking potential game-winning field goals.

"Michael Jordan never said he didn't want the ball at the end of the game," Gould said, per Mayer. "When he passed, he probably didn't like passing. When you get in situations like that, that's your opportunity as a kicker to kind of earn the respect in the locker room and earn the respect of your teammates."

Gould has been clutch since joining the Bears back in 2006, and he has made 252 of his 293 field-goal attempts in his career. He struggled in his limited opportunities last season, but on Sunday he once again looked like one of the NFL's best kickers.

 

Statistical information courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted. 

Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.

Follow @MattEurich.