The Khalil Mack Revenge Game against the Raiders is going to have a bit of international flavor.
London’s calling…
Bears. Raiders. 2019. pic.twitter.com/RtmamgP5e9
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 21, 2019
So much for Mack’s west coast return to play his former mates.
The Bears and Raiders will play their 2019 regular season game in London. So while the Raiders don’t necessarily have a home for 2019, we know one site for at least one of their home games. And we know one of their opponents. Time and date have yet to be announced, but you can figure the Bears will get a bye after their trip overseas because that is standard protocol for these types of trips.
Back in December, we discussed the possibility of the Bears having to take their talents overseas to play the Raiders. Because while we weren’t sure where the Raiders would be playing their home games in 2019, it wasn’t difficult to envision the NFL wanting to send its charter franchise across the pond and put it in front of an international audience. Now, that’s exactly what has happened.
This matchup was always going to have some extra juice. Mack against his ex-teammates (including perhaps some who believed they traded away the NFL’s best player), Jon Gruden getting to reunite with Mitch Trubisky for the first time since he hosted him for his quarterback camp on ESPN, the Bears getting a first-hand look at the first-round pick they traded away. Just throw the London aspect onto the pile of already intriguing storylines.
Chicago hasn’t played an international game since 2011 when they beat the Buccaneers in London. Matt Forte’s 145 rushing yards and a touchdown helped the Bears overcome a two-interception game by quarterback Jay Cutler. Hopefully, the exchange rates have evolved to the point where Bears interceptions turn into touchdowns. That’s how this works, right?