This is it. The Ravens have had their bye week. Lamar Jackson isn’t playing yet, but instead of Cooper Rush, it’s Tyler Huntley who is starting. If the Ravens win this, they have a chance to double up and get to 3-5 within a week. If they lose, they fall to 1-6, and their season is probably over. What do they need to do to avoid that?
1) Limit the turnovers
The Ravens could arguably be standing at 3-3 or better if it weren’t for turnovers. Derrick Henry’s fumble against Buffalo sparked the massive comeback for the Bills
in a game the Ravens should have won. Henry’s fumble against Detroit ruined any chance of keeping pace with the Lions to pull out a win there. The multiple turnovers against Kansas City never allowed the Ravens to compete at all. They had six total turnovers in the last two games with Jackson out, not a formula to follow if you want to win with a backup quarterback. Overall, turnovers have been a massive reason for the Ravens’ struggles this year and their record.
Meanwhile, the Bears’ defense leads the league with 16 takeaways to give Chicago the best turnover differential in the NFL. It’s a strength against weakness matchup there, not in Baltimore’s favor. If the Ravens want to get back in playoff contention, a change there is needed, and this game is the first step. Play clean football, running backs need to hold on to the ball, and Huntley needs to keep things simple and the ball out of danger.
2) Find pressure
It’s arguably the biggest problem with this Ravens team. They simply can’t get to the quarterback, whether they blitz or not. The edge rushers have been non-impactful the entire season, and their best defensive linemen is down for the season. In fact, even though Nnamdi Madubuike only played in two games and the Ravens are six games into the season, Madubuike is still tied for the lead in sacks on this team. The other player is Tavius Robinson, who is also on IR now.
Defensive coordinator Zach Orr specifically said that the Ravens staff spent a lot of the bye week looking over their ability to get to the quarterback. They put a lot of effort into recreating their pressure plan and blitzes to impact opposing quarterbacks. There are a lot of things they can look towards: Travis Jones has the potential to be a monster, a post-bye-week breakout from rookie Mike Green, Kyle Hamilton in the box, Trenton Simpson playing more on the edge, and they just signed Carl Lawson. With extended time to prepare for Caleb Williams and the Bears, I hope to see Williams hit the ground often.
3) Focus on the run game
With no Jackson once again, the big focus has to be on big #22, Derrick Henry. While they have improved in recent weeks, the Bears are allowing 5.3 yards per carry, the second most in the NFL. They’ve gotten their linebacker core of T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds back together, which helps, but they will be missing Kyler Gordan, a defensive back who plays all over and is massive in the run game for them.
Meanwhile, the Ravens are expecting the season debut of Patrick Ricard, who should be massive both in the run game, but also helping the team convert in the red zone and on the goal line, a massive area of struggle this year, especially without Jackson. Ricard and Henry punching it in on the goalline, unlike the Rams game, could be the difference for them. They are also expecting the return of left tackle Ronnie Stanley, a guy the Ravens should be able to run behind. Tyler Huntley’s influence on the run game shouldn’t be dismissed as well. While the Ravens ran the ball well last week with Cooper Rush starting, Huntley’s ability to add the option game and influence the defense will be a boost.
The Ravens need to focus on long drives, draining the clock, and giving the defense time to rest, looking to put up 21-24 points and contain the Bears to 17-20 points. If the Ravens can establish and stick to the run game, they should be able to dial up something through the air with three of the Bears’ top defensive backs down. But it has to start on the ground with a backup quarterback in.
4) Contain D’Andre Swift
Ben Johnson’s offenses are known for their creativity and deception. The Ravens will likely see multiple ball carriers against the Bears, including wide receivers D.J. Moore and maybe Luther Burden or Olamide Zaccheaus. They are also going to have to worry about multiple tight ends, another common issue when facing Johnson during his time in Detroit, and their top wide receiver, Rome Odunze. It’s a lot to handle for a defense that’s struggled so far this season, but it looked somewhat improved against the Los Angeles Rams and showed aggression for the first time in weeks.
One of the ways they can make their life easier is by shutting down D’Andre Swift. Another Ben Johnson staple is leaning on the run game, something he did while in Detroit a lot, leaning on multiple backs there during his time, like Jahmry Gibbs, David Montgomery, and Jamaal Williams. That hasn’t changed as the Bears are top 10 in rushing attempts this season. The Ravens’ defense did well against the Rams’ rushing attack in Week 6, limiting them to just 74 yards at 3.2 yards a carry as a team. Another repeat performance like that could help set the Ravens defense up for success on third downs and not allow Ben Johnson and the Bears to unload the chamber of unique plays they have.
