Bears vs. Raiders: 9 Keys to an Oakland Upset on Sunday

The 6-4 Oakland Raiders will be at home, in front of a sold-out O.co Coliseum crowd to take on the Chicago Bears Sunday.

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler won't be available but many still favor the Bears over the Raiders in the game, probably because the Bears have won their last five while the Raiders are 3-2 during the same stretch.

Of those five wins, only one was against a team (Detroit Lions) that was over .500.

However, the Bears did look pretty good in those wins while the Raiders didn't look too sexy in the second half of their win against the Vikings last Sunday. A win for the Raiders will have to be called an upset at this point.

Turn the page to see the keys to the Raiders getting that upset.

Rolando McClain Stopping the Run

Far and away the No. 1 priority for the Raiders on Sunday is to stop the run. In the Raiders' six wins this year, they allowed only 95.8 yards per game on the ground.

In their four losses, they allowed 210 yards per game on the ground.

Most of the games that the Raiders gave up big totals were early in the season when teams ran on them out of the shotgun. The Raiders then vastly improved against the run—going from No. 31 to No. 16 against it.

Then second-year middle linebacker Rolando McClain injured his ankle—leading to the Broncos rushing for 300 yards on the Raiders, behind Tim Tebow and a college-style offense.

McClain then came back to help out against the run against the Chargers, then the Vikings last Sunday in back-to-back wins.

Knocking Adrian Peterson out of the game early, the Raiders held him and and 2010 NFL leading rusher Arian Foster to just 96 yards combined.

This week, the Bears are bringing Matt Forte, the NFL's No. 4 leading rusher to the dance, so the Raiders will face another good running back.

Not only is McClain a physical presence on the Raiders defense, but he lines the defense up and directs traffic. That will be key to stopping Forte.

McClain is healthy this week and his presence will be huge on Sunday. 

Kamerion Wimbley Harassing the Quarterback

Deceased Raiders owner Al Davis always said, "The quarterback must go down and he must go down hard." If the Raiders do stop the run to force 3rd-and-long, the Raiders will surely turn their attention to that.

What really makes this a must-do for the Raiders is the fact that Caleb Hanie is subbing for the injured Cutler. The Bears started the season among the league leaders in sacks allowed, but have drastically improved since.

Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour's status is unknown, but he should at least be available for passing downs. That worked out just fine for the Raiders last Sunday, as they had five sacks in the game.

One guy that I do know will be playing in Sunday's game is Raiders leading sack-man Kamerion Wimbley.

He didn't follow up his four-sack performance against the Chargers with a sack in Minnesota, but he did put plenty of pressure on the quarterback.

Bears left tackle J'Marcus Webb has already given up eight sacks in 10 starts this season, so Wimbley may be set to pad his season sack numbers and hold the Bears passing game hostage himself.

This matchup is a huge one in favor of the Raiders.

Stanford Routt and the Pass Coverage

Aside from putting relentless pressure on him, taking away his leading receiver is a great way to make a backup quarterback uncomfortable.

Johnny Knox has used his blazing speed to be the Bears' leading receiver; Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz likes to throw the ball down the field.

To remedy that, the Raiders have Stanford Routt, who is a blazer himself, and also happens to be one of the NFL's best cover-corners.

I like Routt's chances in this one—especially knowing he will be helped on the front end with the NFL's No. 6 ranked pass rush.

The Bears have the No. 22 passing offense in the NFL right now, and that was with Cutler at quarterback.

The Raiders are only ranked No. 20 against the pass, but don't let that fool you—they have mightily improved in that department, climbing up from No. 30.

That's because rookie corner DeMarcus Van Dyke has improved and Lito Sheppard has recently become a Raider. Van Dyke is a top 10 corner in burn percentage these days and needs only to stay healthy.

Speaking of healthy, the Raiders are getting Chris Johnson back for Sunday's game. That will help the Raiders deal with the also-speedy Devin Hester as well as the back-from-injury possession receiver Earl Bennett.

Underneath, strong safety Tyvon Branch has tight end Kellen Davis to deal with while the linebackers have to deal with Forte.

Carson Palmer and the Raiders Passing Game

The Bears have the No. 30 passing defense in the NFL right now but they do get turnovers.

The Raiders' once-maligned trade for quarterback Carson Palmer looks better by the day as he removes the rust. Sunday he will get a chance to do some damage, facing the worst pass defense he's faced all year.

In just three starts in 2011, Palmer is 2-1 with a 109 quarterback rating. The Bears and the rest of the NFL have to watch out more for the Raiders throwing the ball down the field.

Palmer;s completion percentage of 53 percent on throws over 20 yards is a vast improvement over Jason Campbell's 20 percent. Palmer is still getting comfortable, but the Raiders are already a different team.

Speaking of different, Chaz Schilens and Louis Murphy will get a shot to prove their value on Sunday. Before this season, I thought Schilens would finally stay healthy and put his remarkable talents together.

I also thought it would be Murphy's year, as he was on pace for a 1,000-yard season before getting injured in 2010.

The emergence of other receivers in their stead after injuries took away their chances earlier this year, but they will get another chance Sunday because of injuries to the other receivers.

Old friend T.J. Houshmandzadeh will get his chance to do damage underneath as the other two hit the Bears up top. Kevin Boss and Brandon Myers will both get to work underneath from the tight end position.

Marcel Reece is a special weapon that neither Lance Briggs or Brain Urlacher will be able to cover. All this comes with the Bears already being preoccupied with Bush and the running game. 

Michael Bush and the Raiders Running Game

Raiders star running back Darren McFadden doesn't look like he's going to be back from his sprained foot Sunday. Taiwan Jones pulled a hamstring in the Raiders' win against the Vikings so he's out.

It looks like 6'2", 245-pound Michael Bush will get another 30-carry day to keep the Raiders running game afloat. The Bears are ranked No. 10 in run defense but that isn't likely to deter the Raiders from running.

Michael Bush had over 100 yards against the Vikings when they were the No. 6-ranked run defense. As much as the run game helps Palmer throw, his deep balls to the Raiders' speedy receivers will help the Raiders running game—keeping the Bears from putting that eighth man in the box to stop the run.

It still isn't known if Raiders starting center Samson Satele is going to play or not, but that won't make the difference. Rookie Stefen Wisniewski is a better run-blocker from the center position than Satele.

It doesn't matter who plays center on Sunday.

That's because the Bears are a 4-3 team, so there will be no big nose tackles for Satele to struggle with. Therefore, the Raiders should be able to run up the middle just as well as to the right and left Sunday.

The Raiders offensive line has gotten it done all year and I expect nothing different Sunday.  

A Key Matchup Within the Matchups

Jared Veldheer vs. Julius Peppers could very well determine who wins Sunday's game.

Veldheer has given up only two sacks so far this year and he's coming off of a shutout of All-World defensive end Jared Allen.

Peppers, for his part, comes into the game with six sacks and his own All-World reputation. The matchup between these two big men runs deeper than just protecting Palmer—the Raiders running game depends on it too.

Veldheer has grown into an All-Pro type pass protector over one year but arrived in Raider Nation as a brutal run-blocker. Peppers's All-World reputation is built just as much on his ability to play the run as it is on rushing the passer.

Something tells me that we'll be looking back at this matchup after the game. 

Shane Lechler and the Punting Unit

Bears return man Devin Hester is lurking and can give the Bears touchdowns they wouldn't have otherwise had.

The Bears are likely to struggle some on offense with their backup quarterback making his first start this year, so Lechler will have to punt the ball extra high to let his coverage team get to Hester before he gets going.

Better yet, Lechler needs to give his coverage unit, who have already had two punts run back on them, the night off by simply kicking away from Hester.

There's no need to give a team without its starting quarterback a chance for a free touchdown.

Sebastian Janikowkski Is Healthy

Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowksi is not on the injury report so I assume that he is ready to kick the laces off the ball.

This would mean Hester, who returns kicks as well as punts, won't get a chance to return one for a touchdown.

I expect to see all of Janikowski's kicks go out the back of the end zone for a touchback. If this game is one where three points is the difference between a win and loss, it really will help the Raiders to have Janikowksi.

Raider Nation should be grateful to have him back healthy for Sunday.

Bryan McCann

There will be no Jacoby Ford or Denarius Moore to return punts or kicks for the Raiders on Sunday, but the Raiders did go out and get another speedster last week in defensive back Bryan McCann.

His 4.2 40-yard dash translates easily onto the football field as shown on a 97-yard punt return last year.

It would be nice to see him take Denarius Moore's punt return spot so he can focus on playing receiver.

A good performance will do that and give the Raiders good field position on Sunday.

Overview

The Raiders better not go to sleep on special teams Sunday because it could mean a touchdown. The good news is despite the injuries to Ford and Moore, the same thing can go the other way.

Palmer is now one more game in and needs to go ahead and get the ball down the field but still try to be safe with it.

The Bears secondary can be had up top but can also get the ball back for their team via interception.

As much as I want to see Palmer throw more than he did last Sunday, Bush needs to get those 30 carries.

The Raiders run defense will get another big test and who knows what they'll face in the Bears backup quarterback.

I do like the fact the McClain is healthy, and that the Raiders have Van Dyke and Johnson back.

If the Raiders can get through this one with a win and no more injuries, we could talk about a stretch run with McFadden, Ford and Moore coming back.

Just win baby!