The Chicago Bears moved to 3-1 with a dominant Week 4 win over the Minnesota Vikings. However, that win came from dominance on the defensive end, and saw them lose starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. With Trubisky out, they have to turn to veteran backup Chase Daniel.
Now the Bears have the Oakland Raiders in Week 5. At 2-2, Oakland is far from a pushover. However, it's also worth noting this game is going to be played in London, taking the home field advantage Oakland would have had right out the window.
How will the Bears fare in this matchup? Perhaps the more intriguing question is, how will Daniel play in his new role as the starting quarterback?
Here are three bold predictions for the Chicago quarterback against the Raiders.
No Turnovers
The Chicago offense has a very simple role. They need to score a few points, and give the defense time to rest. Let that elite defense do the rest.
The Bears' defense won't give up many points, and could even score some of it's own. Meanwhile, they're going to constantly help the offense by putting them in good field position.
In turn, Daniel will help the defense with some good field position.
He's going to do that by limiting the turnovers, to zero.
In his first action of the season, Daniel went 22-for-30 with one touchdown pass and no interceptions. Now he's going up against an Oakland defense that has just two fumble recoveries and one interception.
This isn't a defense that's going to take advantage of a backup quarterback by forcing a huge number of turnovers. Meanwhile, Daniel is no normal backup quarterback.
He's been in the NFL since 2010 and in the past was considered someone that could be groomed into a very good starting quarterback.
Although that never happened, Daniel has gained a lot of trust in the NFL and it's the reason he was the backup quarterback on a team that many believe can be Super Bowl contenders. He'll make the smart plays and keep the ball out of the Oakland defense's hands in Week 5.
Two Passing Touchdowns
Don't expect Daniel to rack up the passing yards. The Bears will more than likely run the ball pretty often. This is already a team built to run more than anything else. Now they're down their starting quarterback and one of their few dangerous weapons (Taylor Gabriel).
Due to that, Daniel will probably be going with shorter routes and handing the ball off.
That being said, that doesn't mean he can't still do some damage. Once the Bears get into the red zone, don't be surprised when they shake things up a little bit.
Daniel can run pretty well, so bootleg type plays aren't out of the question. He can definitely work some play action and roll out of the pocket to bide himself some time. From there, he does still have some really nice weapons.
The biggest weapon is of course, Allen Robinson. He also has Trey Burton though. Daniel will probably look to those two in the red zone.
That will work wonders and at the end of the day, Daniel will have connected on at least two touchdowns, even if he doesn't have a ton of yards to match them.
Adds a Rushing Touchdown
Like I said, Daniel can run a little bit.
No, he's not a scrambling quarterback and isn't going to ever pick up a ton of yards on the ground. However, he's a big dude and has shown the ability to move around pretty nicely.
That has led to a few really nice runs in his career. It also makes him a solid threat when the offense gets close to the end zone.
It could be on a play action bootleg, or just a simple QB sneak. Whatever the case, Daniel will add to a really productive day with a rushing touchdown.
That's right, I'm predicting at least three touchdowns for Daniel in Week 5. Oakland's defense hasn't done anything to scare me yet and if you can't tell, I really like what Daniel brings to the table.
Chicago's offense won't miss a beat with him in at quarterback, and he'll prove his worth in Week 5 with a solid game.
Follow Us
Subscribe