Josh Jacobs Rallies Raiders Past Bears 24-21
LONDON (AP) — Josh Jacobs scored his second touchdown of the game with a leap from the 2-yard line with 1:57 to play, capping a 97-yard drive that helped the Oakland Raiders rally after blowing a 17-point lead to beat the Chicago Bears 24-21 on Sunday night.
The touchdown was part of a roller-coaster game that delighted the sellout crowd in London. The Raiders (3-2) broke out to a 17-0 halftime lead only to fall behind the Bears (3-2) in a mistake-filled third quarter.
Then Oakland fumbled at the goal line when going in for the go-ahead score, needed a replay review to overturn a fumble on a successful fake punt on the game-winning drive and then intercepted Chicago backup Chase Daniel with 1:14 to go to seal the victory.
It sure didn't come easy but made Oakland's weeklong stay in London a successful one, ended by a satisfying victory in their first game against the Bears since dealing star edge rusher Khalil Mack to Chicago before last season.
That trade has come under heavy scrutiny as Mack led the Bears to the playoffs last year while the Raiders struggled. But Oakland came out ahead this day with Mack's only big play coming when he recovered a botched pitch by Derek Carr that sparked Chicago's third-quarter comeback.
The Bears turned that turnover into a 1-yard run by David Montgomery and got two TD passes from Daniel to Allen Robinson in the third quarter to take a 21-17 lead.
It looked as if it wouldn't be Oakland's day when Sherrick McManis punched the ball loose from Trevor Davis at the goal line and Prince Amukamara recovered at the 1 for Chicago.
A brilliant top-tapping sideline catch by Robinson and a roughing the passer penalty on Maurice Hurst that angered the Raiders and overturned an interception by Daryl Worley helped the Bears move the ball off the goal line.
Chicago pinned Oakland to the 3 with the punt before the Raiders responded with their longest game-winning drive in the fourth quarter in at least 20 years, aided by Erik Harris' 3-yard run on a fake punt after Chicago committed a running into the punter penalty on fourth-and-6.
Carr completed a 23-yard pass to Foster Moreau on third-and-1 to get the ball deep and Jacobs finished it off as part of a big night from the player acquired with one of the draft picks Oakland got for Mack. Jacobs ran 123 yards and two scores and added three catches for 20 yards.
DOMINANT HALF
The Raiders outgained the Bears 208-44 in the first half, had 14 first downs compared to two for Chicago and led the game 17-0 to match the team's biggest lead at any point since Gruden returned as coach last year.
SACK ATTACK
The lack of a pass rush had been a recurring issue in Oakland ever since the Mack trade. The Raiders came into the game with a league-low 18 sacks since the start of 2018 but had three alone in the first half as Daniel held onto the ball too long. Maxx Crosby, Benson Mayowa and Maurice Hurst all came up with sacks, the first time Oakland had three in the opening half since Mack's final season with the team in 2017. Hurst added another on the final play of the game.
INJURIES
Bears: Bears DT Akiem Hicks (elbow) left the game in the first half and didn't return.
Raiders: Jacobs left the game briefly with an elbow injury but returned.
UP NEXT
Bears: Chicago gets a week off following the long trip and will host New Orleans on Oct. 20.
Raiders: Oakland gets the week off and then will continue a 48-day stretch between home games with a visit to Green Bay on Oct. 20.
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