Instant Replay: Gould nails late FG, Raiders fall in Chicago

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CHICAGO -– The Raiders won two straight close contests heading into Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears. They came out on the losing end of a nail biter this time, dropping a 22-20 decision after a late Bears drive that proved to be the game-winner.

Robbie Gould connected on a 49-yard field goal with two seconds remaining to give the Bears their first win and drop the Raiders’ record to 2-2.

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler converted a fourth down play early in that drive to keep his team alive, and they got in position to win it late.

This was a winnable game the Raiders will consider a missed opportunity. In the end they made too many mistakes and kept Chicago in it and gave them a chance to win it late.

A tough portion of the schedule is coming up, meaning this loss could hurt the Raiders in the long run. They could’ve been 3-1 at the quarter pole, but go back to Oakland with a .500 record.

Sebastian Janikowski gave the Raiders a late lead with a 41-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, but the defense couldn’t make it stand.

The Raiders offense struggled some in the middle of the game, collected just 243 yards in the game and just 173 through the air. This was a game Latavius Murray would rather forget. The young buck had a pass bounce off his chest and get intercepted and fumbled a pitch late in the game that eventually got him benched.

The Raiders had a tough time stopping tight end Martellus Bennett – no shocker there – and had a tough time getting off the field on third down. Bears quarterback Jay Cutler showed no ill effects from a hamstring strain that labeled him questionable heading into the game. The Bears moved the ball far better than they had in recent weeks, using a heavy dose of short passes and Matt Forte to move the chains.

The Bears took a 19-17 lead with a 54-yard field goal from Robbie Gould in the fourth quarter that just scraped over the crossbar.

After that, Latavius Murray committed a felony. He fumbled a pitch and slipped trying to regain possession, which gifted Chicago possession in Raiders territory. They were driving to expand their lead when Charles Woodson, who turns 39 on Wednesday, swooped in and intercepted Culter near the goal line, just as he did against Cleveland last week.

Carr’s offense had a long way to go after that, but worked their way downfield with key third down conversions and completed a game-winning drive

Blocked extra point looms large: The Bears scored a touchdown on their opening drive, but the six points they got wasn’t as important as the one they didn’t get.

Defensive linemen Denico Autry blocked the extra point attempt, which kept a point off the scoreboard. That was an important play in a back-and-forth contest that featured several lead changes. It kept the Raiders in pole position in terms of scoring taking leads when they normally would’ve tied the game.

Upon further review:

Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio used a challenge to his team’s advantage in the first half, when a pass from Derek Carr to Amari Cooper in the end zone was ruled incomplete. The decision was overturned after review, which gave the Raiders a 7-6 lead.

Carr had a touchdown pass to Seth Roberts ruled incomplete on the field, which was the correct call considering Roberts didn’t get both feet in bounds.

More tight-end trouble: The Raiders defense has struggled mightily defending the tight end position, letting unheralded tight ends post career highs in receiving yards. They went up against a talented veteran in Martellus Bennett, who cause havoc throughout the game and especially on third down.

Bennett had 11 catches for 83 yards and a touchdown in the contest.

Injury update: Raiders defensive back TJ Carrie, playing safety over cornerback for the second straight week, suffered a chest injury early on and did not return.

The Raiders were already thin at safety, and his loss was felt on the back end. Larry Asante stepped in and played in Carrie’s place.

The Raiders also had Autry and inside linebacker Curtis Lofton checked for concussions in the third quarter. Receiver Michael Crabtree suffered an ankle injury in the first half, but returned to the game in the second quarter. They also lucked out on an injury to running back Latavius Murray, who missed some time but was able to return to the game.

Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio should update the team’s injury situation in his post-game press conference.

Sitting it out: Running back Taiwan Jones missed Sunday’s game with a foot injury. He was among seven Raiders inactives, a few of which were due to injury.

Jones is also the team’s kick returner, a role that was filled by Marcel Reece and Roy Helu against the Bears.

Chicago starting quarterback Jay Cutler was able to play with a hamstring strain, an ailment that kept him out of last week’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He didn’t have top target Alshon Jeffery, who was out with a hamstring injury.

In addition to Jones, the Raiders ruled cornerback Keith McGill, linebacker Ben Heeney, offensive linemen Jon Feliciano and Matt McCants and defensive linemen Benson Mayowa and C.J. Wilson inactive for Sunday’s game.

What's next: The Raiders play their first AFC West game in Week 5, when they host the Denver Broncos at O.Co Coliseum. Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has owned the Raiders in his Denver days, and the Silver and Black would like to reverse that trend and get off to a fast start in a difficult division.

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