The Sports Xchange

ALAMEDA, Calif. — A chance for the Oakland Raiders to have a 3-1 record heading into a home showdown with the Denver Broncos vanished in the time it took for Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould to make a 49-yard field goal.

That was good for a 22-20 win Sunday over the Raiders, who are now 2-2 as they await the Broncos.

It was a gut-punch for the Raiders, who the week before had snapped an 11-game road losing streak and 16 games in the eastern time zone, and were on the verge of winning two in a row.

Instead, Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler drove the Bears to put them in position for Gould’s game-winner.

Head coach Jack Del Rio, who kept a stiff upper lip through the two consecutive wins, wasn’t about to make too much of the loss with three quarters of the season still to play.

“It was really a hard-fought, back-and-forth game,” Del Rio said. “Give them credit. They made the play at the end to win the game. It comes down to making plays in the end. In the NFL, the team that makes the play at the end of the game wins.

“It was a tough, determined effort. We just came up a little short. There are plenty of things to correct and coach up and make better.”

Wide receiver Michael Crabtree, who had five catches for 80 yards, was moving on to Denver.

“It’s early. We’ve got 16 games,” Crabtree said, referring to the entire season schedule. “What’s all the fuss about? We’ve got to go out there and win. Next week’s a divisional game. We’ve got to go out there and do what we’ve got to do.”

The Raiders were outgained 371 to 243, in part because the Bears converted 10 of 17 third downs, including eight of the first 11.

Still, the Raiders managed a 20-19 lead on Sebastian Janikowski’s 41-yard field goal with 2:05 remaining. The Raiders were forced to settle for a field goal attempt when Roy Helu Jr. was stuffed for a 1-yard loss on third-and-2.

“We felt like we were moving pretty good and had a shot to move those sticks on third-and-2,” Del Rio said. “We came up a little short there.”

REPORT CARD VS. BEARS

–PASSING OFFENSE: C-plus. Derek Carr was 20 of 33 for 196 yards and touchdown passes of 26 yards to Amari Cooper and four yards to Roy Helu Jr. His lone interception came on a ball Latavius Murray batted directly to defender Pernell McPhee. Cooper disappeared after a big first half (four catches, 49 yards). Michael Crabtree took up the slack with five receptions for 80 yards and a long of 25. Some good work in the passing game, but not enough.

–RUSHING OFFENSE: D. The Bears gave up yardage in chunks coming into their meeting with the Raiders, but Oakland managed just 3.2 yards per carry. Murray had 49 yards on 16 carries and a lost fumble. Helu did some good work with 22 yards on five carries and a late first down, but came up short on a third-and-2 that forced the Raiders to kick a field goal on their last possession. The Bears came back with a field goal of their own and won the game.

–PASS DEFENSE: D. Charles Woodson’s late interception could have won the game, but Jay Cutler directed the Bears on a late field-goal drive for the win. Martellus Bennett was the latest tight end to have a big day on the Raiders with 11 receptions in 13 targets for 84 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown when no one covered him. At all. Cutler’s 6-yard pass to Bennett on fourth-and-5 against Ray-Ray Armstrong was a huge play.

–RUN DEFENSE: B-minus. Matt Forte gained 91 yards on 25 carries for the Bears, but appeared headed for much more with 69 yards at the half. In the second half, Forte had just 22 yards on 11 carries as the Raiders tightened things up. In the end, the Bears finished with 98 yards on 29 attempts, an average of 3.4 yards per attempt.

–SPECIAL TEAMS: B. Sebastian Janikowski converted field-goal attempts of 29 and 41 yards and is 7-for-7 this season. Marquette King had a 45.7 net punting average with two inside the 20-yard line and the Bears did no damage with their return game. Helu had a kickoff return of 37 yards and TJ Carrie a 22-yard punt return, but Carrie didn’t play another down afterward because of an injury.

–COACHING: D-plus. With perfect hindsight, the decision by either offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave or head coach Jack Del Rio to run on third-and-2 on the final possession proved to be a back-breaker. The Raiders were in essence placing their faith in a running game that struggled and that a shaky pass defense could hold off Cutler if all they managed was a field goal. Derek Carr is their meal ticket and the Raiders opted to play it safe. Tight ends continue to bedevil the Raiders a quarter of the way into the season.