Week 12 of the NFL season saw teams getting serious about pushing for playoff spots. With the Chicago Bears visiting the Oakland Raiders in the black hole, the story was all about quarterbacks. Fans that bought Raiders tickets to this game knew they would have the Raiders would have an advantage over the Bears.
Quarterbacks
Half way through the season, the Raiders and Bears had definite issues with their quarterbacks. In the case of the Raiders, quarterback Jason Campbell had suffered a season ending injury and those that purchased Raiders tickets thought the season was lost. The Bears, on the other hand, were living the high life as quarterback Jay Cutler played some of the best ball of his career and the team looked prime for a deep playoff run.
By their week 12 game, things had changed dramatically.
In less than three weeks, the Bears had lost Cutler to a broken thumb that is expected to keep him out for the remainder of the regular season. In contrast, the Raiders had moved a pile of draft picks to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for disgruntled veteran quarterback Carson Palmer. With little used backup Caleb Hanie starting for the Bears, few gave the men from Chicago much of a chance in this game. The Raiders would in fact prevail 25-20, but the game provided more questions than answers for both teams.
Oh Hanie
They say there is a reason backup quarterbacks are not starters in the NFL. Caleb Hanie proved as much in the game against Oakland. To say he set the game of football back 20 or 30 years in the first half would be an understatement. He looked like he was going to hyperventilate out on the field as he somehow managed to throw three brutal interceptions. He would rally a bit to throw a total of two touchdowns in the game, but his quarterback rating of 56 pretty much nails down how bad he was. It is also a performance that cannot be reassuring to Bears players or fans moving forward.
Oh Carson
With Hanie flailing, one would think that Oakland would have strolled to the win. The Raiders were the dominant team, but the Bears exposed a serious offensive problem the team has. While Carson Palmer threw for more than 300 yards, he could only get his team into the end zone on one occasion. The Raiders had to settle for six field goals. Yes, six! This, of course, turned what should have been a blowout into an exciting game for those that bought Raiders tickets.
Moving Forward
Raiders’ fans have to be giddy moving forward. For the first time in years, their team is relevant. Playing in the impotent AFC West, it is hard to see how they could possible lose the division although one can apparently not count out the running Tim Tebows in Denver. Still, this division is the Raiders for the taking and their remaining schedule contains only two difficult games against the Green Bay Packers and potentially the Detroit Lions. Can you say Oakland Raiders win the West? For the first time in nearly a decade, it looks very likely. You better hurry up and buy your Raiders tickets now before they sell out for their remaining games.
As for the Chicago Bears, the news is not as dire as one would expect. Hanie was a disaster at quarterback in this game, but one gets the feeling he will settle down moving forward. Not that he will be great, but the strong Bears defense can compensate for a lot. The Bears only sure loss on the remaining schedule is a game against Green Bay. With just average quarterbacking, they should be able to sneak into the playoffs and hopefully get Jay Cutler back.
Both of these teams will be in the playoffs at the end of the season. Will they meet in the Super Bowl as the representatives of the NFC and AFC? Not a chance. Both have too many problems to overcome.
