Bears To Play Raiders In London In 2019; Khalil Mack To Square Off Against Old Team
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Chicago Bears will be London-bound next season, when they face off against the Oakland Raiders.
Although the NFL schedule for 2019 has not yet been unveiled, the league announced five international games for next season, including four games in London.
In addition to the Bears taking on the Raiders, the London games include the Carolina Panthers against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Cincinnati Bengals versus the Los Angeles Rams, and the Houston Texans against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The fifth international game will be the Kansas City Chiefs against the Los Angeles Chargers in Mexico City.
For the Bears, it will be their first game in London since 2011, when they defeated the Buccaneers 24-18.
The matchup against the Raiders is the first time the two teams will face off since the Bears acquired star linebacker Khalil Mack in a trade just days before the 2018 season. Mack helped propel the Bears to a 12-4 record, winning the NFC Central title behind the league's best defense.
The Raiders, on the other hand, went 4-12, and struggled without Mack on defense, recording a league-low 13 sacks; while Mack alone had 12.5 sacks for the Bears.
The full NFL schedule for 2019 will be announced in the spring.
