The Las Vegas Raiders Squander A Chance to Win and lost to the Chicago Bears 25-24

Las Vegas Raiders #2 Ashton Jeanty (RB) had a great day against the Chicago Bears with 21 carries for 138 yards one touchdown, and two receptions for 19 yards, and two touchdowns. Photo by Omer Khan/TGSportstv1 September 28, 2025.

LAS VEGAS - The Las Vegas Raiders (1-3) could not hold onto the lead at home and lost to the Chicago Bears (2-2) in a 25-24 thriller. The game was electric from the start, as each fan base was represented in equal proportion.  Ultimately, the game was decided in the fourth quarter. With 33 seconds on the clock, the Bears blocked the Raiders' kicker Daniel Carson's 52-yard field goal to seal the victory.

Gino Smith completed 14 of his 21 passes for 117 yards, 2 touchdowns, and three interceptions, and Ashton Jeanty carried the ball 21 times for 138 yards,and 2 catches for 17 yards and two touchdowns.

The Raiders were able to get healthy and insert running back Raheem Mostert and their most powerful lineman, Jackson Powers-Johnson, back into the starting lineup.

The Las Vegas offensive line had been a glaring problem, ranking dead last in the NFL in efficiency, allowing 12 sacks, and running back Ashton Jeanty to be hit behind the line of scrimmage on 57 percent of his carries.  

Those problems were fixed today, and Jeanty had his best performance as a Raider (3 touchdowns and  155 yards rushing). Despite the loss, Jeanty was the best player on the field.   When asked about his dominant performance, Jeanty replied, "Feels alright, I guess. To me, it's all about winning, not personal performance. I'm more about winning and putting W's on the stat sheet than my own stats."

Las Vegas Raiders #98 Maxx Crosby (DE) is hustling and chasing down from behind Chicago Bears #18 Caleb Williams (QB). Photo by Omer Khan/TGSportstv1 September 28, 2025.

In the first half, the Raiders' offensive woes gave the Bears a gift-wrapped points. Quarterback Geno Smith threw 2 interceptions, and Ashton Jeanty fumbled as well. The Raiders defense came to the rescue and held Chicago to 9 points, 12 net rushing yards, and 98 passing yards in the 1st half.

Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby was a game wrecker who made the most spectacular defensive play of the day.  In the 1st quarter, with Chicago threatening on the 15-yard line, Crosby batted and then intercepted the pass to ignite Raider Nation.  

The electricity of the Raider fan base went through the roof.  Las Vegas drove 66 yards on their next possession and scored on an 8-yard pass to Ashton Jeanty to take a 7-3 lead to end the first quarter.

To open the second quarter, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams orchestrated a 60-yard drive down to the Raiders' 20-yard line. However, Maxx Crosby and Tyree Wilson came up big with back-to-back sacks that forced Chicago to punt.  Raiders Smith threw his third interception and gave Chicago the ball on the 24-yard line.

The Raiders defense thwarted the Smith stimulus package and held Chicago to a 43-yard field goal. Despite the poor performance of Smith, Las Vegas led 14-9 at the half, and Grammy Award Winning Band- Earth, Wind and Fire- brought the stadium to their feet with an electric halftime performance.

In the third quarter, Chicago's offense found success passing over the deep middle of the field and in the soft spots in the Raiders' zone defense. Geno responded like a true veteran and executed a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive, capped off with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Jeanty to give the Raiders a 21-16 lead to end the third quarter.

Both teams seemed worn down in the fourth quarter. You could see players with their hands on their hips. It was time for the most efficient and mistake-free offense to prevail.

A bad snap on third down required the Bears to convert a 51-yard field goal by Cairo Santos to close the gap 21-19 with 11 minutes left in the contest.  Las Vegas wideout Don't'e Thornton Jr. dropped a pass on the 2-yard line and had to settle for a 29-yard  field goal by Daniel Carlson to 24-19.

The Chicago Bears #4 D’Andre Swift (RB) scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders defense. Photo by Omer Khan/TGSportstv1 September 28, 2025.

The Bears attacked the Raiders' rookie corner back Kyu Blu Kelly on third down and found success in the soft spot of the Raiders' zone defense.  Williams performed well by extending drives by scrambling and timely third-down passing. With 1:39 left in the game, the Bears running back D'Andre Swift scored on a 3-yard touchdown run, and the Raiders trailed 25-24 with 1:34 on the clock.

With the game on the line, Smith showed Moxy by completing all of his passes on the final drive. The Raiders were in field goal range when their starting left tackle, Kolton Miller, was injured on the play. Chicago blocked the 52-yard field goal attempt to seal the victory.

Williams finished the game, completing  22 of his 27 passes for 212 yards, with 1 touchdown and one interception.

Raiders head coach, Pete Carroll said that he never considered benching Smith, and the team would just have to get better. The Raiders are on a three-game losing streak and are seeking to get back on track.  The next opponent is an even more daunting challenge when the Raiders go on the road to face the Indianapolis Colts, who are off to a hot 3-1 start.