The Baltimore Ravens controlled both sides of the ball for most of their Week 8 matchup with the Chicago Bears on their way to a 30-16 victory.
The Ravens were sitting at 1-5 entering the week with hopes
of turning around their season with tweaks during the bye and a return from Lamar Jackson and a few other injured players. By Saturday, they were mired in controversy.
Two articles during the week revealed locker room frustration and an apparent disconnect between the offensive players and coaching staff. A late change to Baltimore’s injury report downgraded Lamar Jackson from ‘questionable’ to ‘out,’ drawing the attention of the NFL and putting Tyler Huntley in position to start. Amid it all, the Ravens needed to prepare for a must-win game, furthering the impression of a team in disarray scrambling to save their season.
On Sunday, they took a major step towards accomplishing that goal with a complete victory in all three phases. With Huntley under center, the offense put up 30 points, scored touchdowns on all three of their goal-to-go opportunities, and didn’t turn the ball over. The defense stood firm in the red zone after getting walked down the field by the Bears on their first two drives and didn’t allow another point until the fourth quarter. And the Ravens’ special teams play – including a perfect punt sequence by Jordan Stout and Tylan Wallace – allowed them to win the field position game all afternoon.
As he did against the Rams, Huntley provided a clear spark to the offense, completing 17 of his 22 passes for 186 yards and a career-best 116.9 passer rating. He also added 53 yards on the ground on eight carries, and crucially, only took two sacks after taking four in 21 dropbacks in Week 6.
The rest of the offense seemed to respond, too. Derrick Henry didn’t have a particularly efficient game, but he got the yards the Ravens needed when it counted. At long last, Todd Monken incorporated Keaton Mitchell into the game plan, and the third-year running back contributed 43 yards on four carries along with a 39-yard return. Zay Flowers dominated the first half and made a few key plays in the fourth quarter.
Huntley also spread the ball out to the rest of his pass-catchers and they all delivered when called upon. Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman both produced explosive plays, DeAndre Hopkins converted a key third down with some veteran savvy at the catch point, and Charlie Kolar scored a red zone touchdown to put the Ravens up by two possessions.
On the defensive side of the ball, Zach Orr continued his tweaks from the Rams game and added in some excellent blitz packages to manufacture pressure on Caleb Williams without much of a four-man pass rush. Sure, the Bears dominated their first two possessions, but they only came away with six points in a prime example of the ‘bend but don’t break’ ethos that past Ravens defenses have embodied. That clearly gave Orr some confidence, and he began to dial up the pressure as the game continued. The Ravens only sacked Williams twice, but they forced him into two intentional grounding penalties that had the same, if not greater, impact as bringing him down.
Every individual player contributed to the defense, too. First, the veterans. Kyle Hamilton was back in the slot and, as usual, made a number of impact plays all over the field. Roquan Smith returned from a two-game absence and led the defense with 12 tackles, including several short of the sticks on key downs. Kyle Van Noy notched a few pressures and was stout against the run.
Baltimore’s young defenders each took a turn in the spotlight, too. Mike Green got his first career sack on a red zone third down that forced the Bears’ first field goal attempt. Nate Wiggins shook off a tough start against Rome Odunze for a game-changing interception that set the Ravens up for a huge fourth-quarter touchdown. Teddye Buchanan continued to play solid run defense, recording six tackles, including two for loss. Overall, it was an encouraging performance from a defense that hasn’t had much to celebrate this year.
The Ravens have received plenty of criticism for their focus on special teams, but on Sunday, it was a key part of their success. The aforementioned Stout-Wallace punt connection was just one of a number of plays that led to a clear field position advantage. Keaton Mitchell and Rasheen Ali both ripped off long kick returns, and several players, including Keondre Jackson and Jay Higgins, made emphatic tackles on kick coverage. Tyler Loop also went six-for-six on three field goals and three extra points.
The Ravens clearly won in all three phases of Sunday’s game, but their victory wasn’t perfect by any means. The Bears still put up 372 total yards on offense and helped out their opponents with mistakes and penalties, including a dropped interception by veteran safety Kevin Byard. But make no mistake: scoring 30 points without Lamar Jackson and holding a Ben Johnson-coached offense to 16 points is a massive, much-needed boost of confidence for the Ravens. Their playoff hopes might still depend on a return from their two-time MVP quarterback, but their season is still alive.
