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Gabriel: Bears-Raiders Review

By Greg Gabriel--

(CBS) When the Bears' schedule came out last April, the home game against the Raiders looked like a good possibility for a win. At that time, no one knew the Bears would struggle as much as they have in the early part of the 2015 NFL season.

On Sunday, the Bears got that win, but it wasn't easy. Chicago needed a last-second 49-yard field goal by Robbie Gould to secure the 22-20 win, their first of the season and the John Fox era.

Here are my thoughts on the contest and notable takeaways.

Jay Cutler

During the Bears' second possession, I tweeted out that, "Like him or not, Cutler does make a difference." Those may be the truest words I write here. Cutler isn't among the elite quarterbacks in the NFL, but for the Bears this season, he makes a difference.

In the second half of the Arizona game in Week 2 and at Seattle in Week 3, we saw that the Chicago offense can't do anything with Jimmy Clausen. Cutler may have only been at about 75 percent Sunday because of a hamstring injury, but that 75 percent was good enough to lead the Bears to a win.

While Cutler hasn't been what we would call "great" this season, he has been a vast improvement over the Cutler we have seen the last few seasons. He's playing with more confidence and starting to come up with the big play when needed.

Fox has gone almost out of his way to help change the national perception of Cutler. On Sunday in his postgame press conference, Fox said, "All I know is that he is one tough son of a buck." That wasn't the first time that Fox has been quite complimentary, and it sure won't be the last.

Fox is trying to build Cutler's confidence by showing him that he has his back win or lose. I've said it a few time earlier this season: Cutler has a confidence about him that we haven't seen in a while. His interaction with teammates and coaches is far more positive than we have seen the last two seasons.

Yes, Cutler's still making the costly mistake, but those mistakes are down to one a game. As we go forward with this season, the mistakes will likely minimize. Can Cutler lead the Bears to the playoffs? Not this year, but from what I have seen this season, I think it's a good bet that Cutler is going to be around Chicago for at least a few more years.

Marquess Wilson

Teams seldom expect much from former seventh-round draft choices, but Marquess Wilson wasn't your typical seventh-round selection.

When Wilson was playing at Washington State, he showed the talent of a player worthy of being a second- or third-round pick. The problem with Wilson was he was young and immature and acted that way. His immaturity led to his quitting the Washington State team midway through his junior season and then making false accusations against the coaching staff.

All that led to Wilson's stock falling and being drafted in the seventh round. That also led to the Bears getting a value that late in the draft. Because of Wilson's natural talent, much was expected. Injuries pretty much curtailed his first two seasons, and it wasn't until Sunday that he showed us what he can do.

Wilson has his best day as pro, with six catches for 80 yards. While he had a costly drop, he also made big plays when they were needed, including two receptions on the Bears' final drive to help set up Robbie Gould's winning field goal.

Making plays at opportune times will build confidence, and that's what Wilson needed. Him making those plays Sunday will also give Cutler confidence in Wilson. That in turn will make Wilson a viable option for Cutler going forward. With Alshon Jeffery out, that's something the Bears receiving corps needed.

Defense

It's been a difficult road with the Bears' new 3-4 defense. The main problem is this team just doesn't have enough quality players who are fits for the scheme. Still, this group of players competes, plays hard and has shown improvement every week.

On Sunday, the Bears defense probably played its best and most complete game of the season, holding what had been a strong Raiders offense to only 243 total yards. The Raiders only had the ball for 26:38, and they weren't able to sustain drives. What was even better was the usually strong Raiders rushing attack was held to only 70 yards in 22 attempts. The Bears also got two sacks and numerous quarterback pressures.

I felt Shea McClellin played his best game since he moved to inside linebacker. While McClellin has had the trust of the Bears coaching staff, the one trait he hasn't shown until Suday was a strong presence at the line of scrimmage and the point of attack.

The unofficial stats showed McClellin with five total tackles, but I felt he played stronger at the point of attack and did a better job controlling the center of the field. As he gains experience at his new position, he should keep gaining confidence.With that, more plays will be made.

People have to remember this is the third position McClellin has played in the last three years. The mere fact that he's versatile enough to do that is a positive. With his size and athleticism, he's a natural for the inside linebacker position. Now he just needs the confidence that he can do what is asked of him.

The other part of the defense that I liked was the play of the secondary, which played better position football. There was much more cohesiveness and aggressiveness in the defensivebacks' play. It's still not where the coaches want it to be, but they're headed in the right direction.

Next Sunday, Chicago plays at Kansas City. The Chiefs have been struggling of late and, like the Bears, haven't played with much consistency. Though the Bears are an early underdog, I could see them winning the game, as the arrow's pointing up.

Greg Gabriel is a former NFL talent evaluator who is an on-air contributor for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @greggabe.

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