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What we learned about Tyson Bagent, Bears in dominating 30-12 ...

What we learned about Tyson Bagent Bears in dominating 3012
Tyson Bagent wasn’t special Sunday, but special wasn’t required as the Bears destroyed the Raiders 30-12 behind a strong running game and a dominant defense.

CHICAGO -- Tyson Bagent did his job.

With Justin Fields watching from the Soldier Field sidelines, the Bears needed their backup quarterback to operate the offense, keep the chains moving, and not make any mistakes you'd expect from an undrafted rookie out of Division II Shepherd.

Facing the definition of NFL mediocrity dressed in silver and black, the Bears' recipe for success Sunday against the Raiders was a strong running game, a stingy defense, and smart decisions from the young quarterback.

That, in theory, should be enough to put away a Raiders team starting Brian Hoyer under center.

It was.

Bagent did what the Bears asked, didn't put the ball at risk, and made the plays required to help deliver a 24-6 win. Bagent finished the day 21-for-29 for 162 yards and one touchdown. Running back D'Onta Foreman carried the load with 89 rushing yards and three total touchdowns, and the Bears defense did the rest, recording three turnovers and holding the Raiders to 2-for-9 on third down in what was a strangling until garbage time.

Tyson Bagent did his job, and the rest of the Bears followed suit. We haven't been able to say that much this season.

Here's what we learned in the Bears' 30-12 win vs. the Raiders on Sunday:

No nerves

The moment didn't look too big for Tyson Bagent in his first career start.

Bagent got the ball out quickly and on time. He threw with some anticipation and didn't make mistakes. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy did an excellent job of finding ways to get the ball into the hands of DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney, and Tyler Scott while keeping it out of harm's way.

Bagent went 14-for-19 for 104 yards in the first half. Running back D'Onta Foreman capped off the Bears' first two scoring drives with touchdown runs of 2 and 3 yards, respectively.

The Bears led 14-3 at halftime. There was nothing special from Bagent, but given the Raiders' subpar play, special was not required.

0-12 for a reason

Raiders starting quarterback Brian Hoyer entered Sunday's game, having lost the last 12 games he started.

There's a reason for that.

Hoyer missed several throws in the first half as the Raiders amassed just 116 yards in the first two quarters.

Davante Adams had five catches for 48 yards in the first half, but the Raiders failed to get him the ball after the first two series.

Give the Bears' defense credit for limiting a Raiders offense that had zero rhythm with Hoyer at the controls.

The Bears threw more dime packages at the Raiders on third down, forcing Las Vegas to go 0-for-3 in the first half. Chicago's defense also made a splash play when Tremaine Edmunds picked off Hoyer at the Raiders' 34-yard line early in the second quarter.

Bagent turned that pick into points, leading the Bears on a six-play drive that Foreman finished off to make it 14-0.

The Foreman game

The Bears made Foreman inactive for Weeks 2 through 5. The veteran running back has been biding his time, and Sunday was the ideal game for him to leave his mark.

Foreman rushed for two touchdowns in the first half and then accounted for 53 total yards on the Bears' first drive of the third quarter, helping them march 88 yards in 15 plays to take a 21-3 lead. Foreman capped off the drive with a 5-yard receiving touchdown on third-and-goal.

Foreman ran with physicality, vision, and wiggle on Sunday. He, Darryton Evans, and the Bears offensive line punished a Raiders run defense begging to be pushed around.

Foreman and the Bears' run game kept the offense ahead of the sticks and allowed Bagent to operate freely without too much on his inexperienced right shoulder.

Defense dominates

You can chalk some of the Bears' defensive success Sunday up to Brian Hoyer being downright abysmal.

But this is now two weeks in a row that the Bears' defense, now almost fully healthy, has authored great days against subpar offenses.

Given where this defense was after the first four weeks, that's a step in the right direction.

After holding the Vikings to just 12 points and 2-for-13 on third down, the Bears limited the Hoyer-led Raiders to XXX total yards, 6 points, and just 1-for-7 on third down.

Cornerback Jaylon Johnson put the capper on a dominant defensive day with a 39-yard pick-six to give the Bears a 30-6 lead and put the Raiders out of their misery. Johnson followed that up by intercepting rookie Aidan O'Connell on the Raiders' next drive.

Head coach Matt Eberflus is pushing the right buttons at the moment. The unit has steadily improved since he took over the playcalling in Week 2. The adjustments have worked, and the Bears' defense is trending in the right direction with Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers on deck.

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