3 Takeaways from Bears' Week 5 Win

The Chicago Bears made a statement Sunday with a 20-9 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. Anyone counting out Chicago following their embarrassing 26-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 3 did so prematurely.

While Chicago may not have the makings of a championship contender, it is 3-2 and within striking distance in the NFC North. Chicago's Week 4 victory over the winless Detroit Lions was easy to overlook, but the Raiders have been a quality team and started the season 3-0.

Las Vegas, though, had no answers for a Chicago defense that smothered it for four full quarters. Rookie quarterback Justin Fields wasn't perfect, but he managed the game well and continues to put his forgettable Week 3 debut behind him.

Chicago has set up a marquee showdown with the division-leading Green Bay Packers in Week 6, and if the defense plays like it did Sunday, the Bears could take over first place in the division.

Here's what we learned during Chicago's Week 5 win.

Moving to Fields Was the Right Call

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The Bears recently decided to go with Fields for the remainder of the season. While the initial plan was to stick with veteran Andy Dalton when healthy, Chicago reversed course following Fields' first professional win in Week 4.

"He's done everything to show us that he's ready for this opportunity," head coach Matt Nagy said, per NFL.com's Nick Shook.

Fields showed Sunday that Nagy made the right call. While his final stat line—12-of-20 for 111 yards and a touchdown—was underwhelming, Fields did exactly what was asked of him. He made several critical throws—eight of his 11 completions went for first downs—operated the game plan smoothly and did not make game-killing mistakes.

Fields is the future at quarterback for Chicago, and if the Bears can consistently win with him under center, it only makes sense to start the future now. As we saw Sunday afternoon, the Bears can win against good opponents with Fields.

Chicago Can Survive David Montgomery's Injury

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Fields was helped tremendously by a rushing attack that totaled 143 yards Sunday. Damien Williams and Khalil Herbert were fantastic in place of starter David Montgomery, who was recently placed on injured reserve with a left-knee sprain.

Herbert rushed for 74 yards and 4.2 yards per carry. Williams finished with 64 yards and a touchdown while averaging 4.0 yards per rush. Fields chipped in with four yards.

On injured reserve, Montgomery will have to miss at least three games before returning.

Chicago should feel good about its rushing attack even without Montgomery, though. While the Raiders don't have an elite defense—they rank 25th in rushing yards allowed—Sunday's showing was encouraging.

The Bears will be happy to get back Montgomery whenever it happens, but his absence is not going to doom this offense.

Khalil Mack Is Still Special

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While pass-rusher Khalil Mack may not have considered Sunday's contest a revenge game, he was spectacular against his former team. Mack was impossible to ignore, as he was constantly around the football and regularly in Las Vegas' backfield.

Mack finished with seven solo stops, a sack, one tackle for loss and one quarterback hit. He helped spark the defensive performance that put Chicago in position to control the game.

It's easy to forget that Mack is still one of the most disruptive pass-rushers in football. While younger players like Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa and Chase Young have stepped into the spotlight, the 30-year-old Mack has faded out of it. Despite having nine sacks and 31 quarterback pressures last season, Mack did not earn Pro Bowl honors—it marked the first time since his rookie season that Mack did not appear in the all-star lineup.

Mack will likely be back on a Pro Bowl roster this season, though—at least if his hot streak continues. He already has five sacks on the season to go with five tackles for loss and 14 quarterback pressures. He has benefited greatly from Robert Quinn's emergence (4.5 sacks) and is on pace to produce All-Pro-caliber numbers.

On Sunday, Mack reminded everyone just how special he can be.

Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference.