Chicago Bears: 5 Players who need to step up in Week 5 vs Raiders

The Chicago Bears travel to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders. Here are five players who must play well in order for the team to come out with a victory.

What a difference a week makes. Last week, as the Chicago Bears prepared for the Detroit Lions, it seemed as if the world around them was collapsing. They came off one of their worst performances ever the previous week against the Cleveland Browns. People were calling for head coach Matt Nagy’s head. He came up with a horrible gameplan and made no adjustments during the game, basically letting rookie quarterback Justin Fields take a beating (the Browns sacked him nine times).

Nagy made matters worse by playing games during the week. He insinuated that there might be a change in play-caller, but wouldn’t outright say it. He also blew a supposed injury to FIelds’ hand out of proportion, likely trying to somehow keep Fields on the bench. He even brought in some quarterbacks for a tryout in case they needed one of them.

It wasn’t until the day before the game that the Bears officially announced Fields as the starter. Also, he finally, grudgingly admitted that offensive coordinator Bill Lazor took over calling the plays.

This week, we thought the craziness would continue. The Bears won the game and Fields looked a lot better in the process. He made some throws that made fans salivate. On Monday, however, Nagy announced that when Andy Dalton was healthy again he’d start. That sent Chicago Bears Nation reeling.

FIelds looks like he’s ready to take on the NFL. Sure, he’ll make rookie mistakes. He’s not overwhelmed by the speed of the game. What he needs now is some polishing. He could only do that by taking snaps in games. How could Nagy send him back to the bench now?

Well, he won’t. On Wednesday, Nagy, likely behind clenched teeth, announced that Fields would be the starting quarterback from now on. That sent a shot of hope through the hearts of all Chicago Bears fans.

Now we get to see Fields develop throughout the season. He’ll get the snaps he needs to become a quality quarterback.

Before we get to all that, Fields has to start this week. Let’s see how he reacts, knowing he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder whenever he makes a mistake. Here are other players who need to play well to help him succeed.

5. This is why the Chicago Bears acquired Damien Williams

The Chicago Bears signed running back Damien Williams to add some depth to the running back position. That need was on full display last season when David Montgomery wasn’t on the field. You cannot expect him to play every snap, but when he wasn’t there the running game was non-existent. He missed Week 10 and the Bears rushed for a mere 41 yards in that game.

The Bears wanted to change that this season. They went out and acquired Williams to help. They also drafted Khalil Herbert and hoped that at some point Tarik Cohen would come back from his ACL injury, but he’s still on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.

Last week, Montgomery suffered a knee injury. At first, it seemed like a serious injury. After checking it some more, it was determined that he suffered a sprained knee. While it isn’t as serious as first thought, he will miss 4-5 weeks. We probably won’t see him again until the week after their bye week, Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Now Williams gets to show why the Bears signed him. He was a Super Bowl hero for the Kansas City Chiefs two years ago. He had 133 total yards from scrimmage and 2 touchdowns in the game.

Montgomery’s running in Week 4 helped Fields tremendously. Now Williams needs to do the same not only for this week but also for the next month or so.