Final Score: Ravens 30 Bears 16
Chicago’s four-game winning streak came to a screeching halt this week in Baltimore. When news broke that Ravens superstar QB Lamar Jackson would not be able to suit up, there was real hope that the Bears could steal a victory in an intimidating environment. However, injuries to starting cornerbacks Tyrique Stevenson and Kyler Gordon prior to Sunday left the Bears without their top four corners. A position group that was expected to be a major strength heading into the season morphed into a unit to be exploited this week thanks to its decimation due to injuries. Ravens backup QB Tyler “Snoop” Huntley was able to take advantage of this and put up a very impressive performance, leading his team to the win.
The Bears dominated the first quarter but-in what has become a trend-could not capitalize. Despite leading significantly in first downs, total yards, and time of possession in the quarter, Chicago only mustered 6 points. By not converting its strong first two drives into touchdowns, Chicago failed to build a considerable lead, allowing Baltimore to close the gap rather quickly.
Glaring Issues
This Team is a Penalty Machine
I say it every week, but the Bears have a major penalty issue. Yet again, they heavily out penalized their opponent. This week, Chicago committed 11 penalties to Baltimore’s 6. Despite having participated in the 4th-least total plays this season, the Bears have been caught with the 5th-most penalties. Head coach Ben Johnson has grown tired of the talking point, going as far as to call out team leaders in a press conference after the game. Although penalties are something we typically credit/discredit coaching for, this issue is something that Johnson has stressed throughout the entire season and all the way back to training camp. At a certain point, it’s up to the players to execute.
Caleb Williams Has Work to Do
Williams passed for 285 yards, but there is still work to be done. He wasn’t able to throw any touchdowns through the air, and tossed an uncharacteristic interception that gave Baltimore fantastic field position. In addition, some of these offensive penalties that the Bears are getting called for are likely related to cadence and can be attributed to Williams. He’s been a little off for the past three games or so. We’re not seeing what we want to out of Williams in terms of numbers right now, but we also have to remember that he’s still young and is learning a complex offensive system that will only become more normal to him as time goes on.
Bright Spots
Outlook Remains Positive
Still considering the ideas in the prior section, it is important to look at things from a macro lens. For a bad game out of Chicago’s quarterback to feature 285 passing yards is a massive step in the right direction for the organization. Williams is still on pace to break the Chicago Bears single-season passing record and be the first player in franchise history to break 4,000 passing yards in a season. It is unrealistic to expect him to look like prime Patrick Mahomes seven games into his first season with a new head coach.
Moving off of the quarterback, the Bears are still sitting at 4-3 with two winnable games coming up. In addition, their top four cornerbacks were out in this week’s game. With CJ Gardner-Johnson added to the mix and hopefully Tyrique Stevenson returning from injury in the coming weeks, the defense should tighten up again. It’s tough to see after a loss, but the sky is certainly not falling in Chicago.
Standout Performers
Roquan Smith
The former Bear had a fantastic performance in both his first game returning from injury and his first game against Chicago as a member of the Ravens. Roquan was all over the field, racking up 12 tackles including a few crucial stops on 3rd downs. Smith finished with the 6th best overall defensive grade this week according to PFF.
Tyler Huntley
Snoop Huntley wasn’t messing around this week. Finally getting a chance to display his talents this season, Huntley picked apart the injury-riddled Bears secondary, completing 17 of his 22 pass attempts and committing zero turnovers. He finished with the 8th best passer rating among starting quarterbacks this week, something that almost team would gladly take out of their starting quarterback, let alone a fill-in.
Rome Odunze
Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze turned in a nice game in Baltimore. He reeled in 7 catches for 114 yards, marking his 100-yard game this season. Odunze and Williams were really clicking, especially in the first half. It’s fun to watch their relationship continue to grow.
Key Drive of the Game
The most pivotal possession of the contest came when Chicago took the ball with 9:48 remaining in the 4th quarter. Williams and the offense finally scored a touchdown on the drive previous, while the defense followed it up by forcing a quick punt. The Bears were only trailing 16-13, and there was real hope that they could at least tie the game on this possession. Unfortunately, everything went sideways.
After being pinned at the 4 by a perfect punt, then moved back even further due to a false start penalty, Williams proceeded to quickly throw an uncharacteristic interception deep in his own territory. Baltimore used their stellar field position to score an easy touchdown, extending the lead to 23-13 and essentially ending the game.