It will be interesting whether or not Darrius Heyward-Bey will play on Saturday night against the Bears. He's been missing practice with general soreness and things of that nature. It appears to be a hamstring issue, if it is indeed an actual issue. The Raiders were hoping, though, that he would progress far this preseason and at least partially live up to his draft status. Whether or not he can remains to be seen.
Still, Oakland will count on an improved group of receivers who, in a best case scenario, will be a little underrated at the very least. Chaz Schilens and Louis Murphy will need to distinguish themselves as legitimate receiving options, while tight end Zach Miller will probably continue to be one of the league's most underrated tight ends.
Look for quarterback Jason Campbell to see the same amount of snaps as last Thursday's game against the Cowboys, and look for some of those same underneath throws. He may see a little more playing time, but it's not likely as the Raiders feel good about him and where he's at in the offense. All that's clear is that he's, and we'll continue to preach this and beat this like the world's most roughed up dead horse, a vastly more talented quarterback than JaMarcus Russell.
Running back Darren McFadden is still battling the injury bug, and Michael Bush will get yet another long look in Saturday's game. They'll run him not necessarily to see where he's at, but more so where the offensive line is at.
Rookie offensive linemen Jared Veldheer and Bruce Campbell were two of the only bright spots on Oakland's offensive line last Thursday and will get much longer looks in game two. On the flip-side to that, the Raiders' defensive line will have a whole lot of eyeballs on point. Matt Shaughnessy and rookie LaMarr Houston will look to show that they can be consistent and are viable starters against Chicago's offensive line.
Chicago's offensive line standout at the moment is LT Chris Williams, and it will be interesting to see how Oakland's line deals with a pass blocker who seemed pretty flawless in week one. For the Bears, they're looking for Williams to show off more consistency in his run blocking.
For Chicago, they'll be looking for early success with that starting offense under coordinator Mike Martz. Martz is either on his renaisance, or on his way out of the league; how quarterback Jay Cutler plays will be the determining factor one way or the other. Look for his snap count to increase. Raiders linebacker Rolando McClain is hoping to make sure any yardage they pick up is minimal.
Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha has been moving around a lot in practice. It will be interesting to see where he immediately lines up for the game, but one has to figure he'll be all over the field. His comfort level will be a huge point of focus for the coaches and the more observant fans.
The two teams share a 4-4 record in the preseason, with the Raiders taking the last game in 1991. The two teams met for meaningful play in 2007, when the Raiders lost at home 17-6.