In an impressive display on Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens secured a commanding 30-16 victory over the Chicago Bears, marking a significant win in the NFL weekend’s matchups.
Leading up to the game, much anticipation surrounded Baltimore’s strategy, especially with Lamar Jackson sidelined. Many speculated that the Ravens would lean heavily on Derrick Henry to spearhead their offensive efforts against Chicago. Despite the Bears entering the game with a solid four-game winning streak, their defense has not faced as formidable a challenge as Baltimore this season. As a notable subplot, this game signified the first meeting for linebacker Roquan Smith against his former team, the Bears, following his trade to Baltimore in 2022. Smith, having returned to practice after a brief hiatus due to a hamstring injury, was keen to make an impact.
Despite the Bears’ strong record of 4-2 heading into the matchup, the Ravens, then standing at 1-5, were bolstered by their home advantage. The game was scheduled for a 1 p.m. EDT kickoff on CBS, with BetMGM predicting the Ravens as slight two-point favorites. Ultimately, Baltimore’s performance on the field proved them as the dominant team that day.
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Chicago (4-2) at Baltimore (1-5)
Sunday 1 p.m. EDT, CBS.
BetMGM NFL Odds: Ravens by 2.
Against the spread: Bears 4-2; Ravens 1-5.
Series record: Bears lead 4-3.
Last meeting: Ravens beat Bears 16-13 on Nov. 21, 2021, at Chicago.
Last week: Bears beat Saints 26-14; Ravens were off.
Bears offense: overall (12), rush (8), pass (14), scoring (10)
Bears defense: overall (25), rush (28), pass (17), scoring (25)
Ravens offense: overall (22), rush (10), pass (28), scoring (16)
Ravens defense: overall (30), rush (26), pass (28), scoring (32)
Turnover differential: Bears plus-11; Ravens minus-7.
Bears player to watch
QB Caleb Williams. The Bears need more from their quarterback after the running game and defense bailed him out last week. Williams had his worst game of the season, setting season lows for yards (172), completion rate (57.7 percent) and passer rating (61.7). It was a big step back after he helped Chicago squeeze out 25-24 wins at both Las Vegas and Washington.
Ravens player to watch
LB Roquan Smith. He transformed Baltimore’s defense when he was traded from Chicago to the Ravens in 2022. And when he missed the past two games with a hamstring injury, the middle of the defense was in rough shape. Smith was able to practice this week.
Key matchup
Chicago’s defense vs. Baltimore’s running game. With Lamar Jackson (hamstring) out again, look for the Ravens to try to get Derrick Henry going. Although the Bears have won four straight, their defense isn’t as strong as some of the other teams Baltimore has faced.
Key injuries
Bears: CB Kyler Gordon (groin, calf) and LT Braxton Jones (knee) were placed on injured reserve on Saturday. Gordon missed the first four games because of a hamstring injury. Jones started the first four before getting lifted during a Week 4 win at Las Vegas. … DT Grady Jarrett (knee) has missed the past three games. … CB Tyrique Stevenson (shoulder) and TE Cole Kmet (back) are out after leaving against New Orleans. … K Cairo Santos (right thigh) sat out the past two games, with Jake Moody filling in for him.
Ravens: Jackson (hamstring) did practice. In fact, Baltimore had all its top players practice at some point this week.
Series notes
Four of the teams’ seven meetings have been decided by four points or fewer, including a pair of overtime games Chicago won in 2013 and 2017. … The Ravens won the most recent meeting four years ago, when Tyler Huntley played in place of Jackson.
Stats and stuff
The Bears have won four straight for the first time since the 2018 NFC North championship team closed the regular season on a four-game run. Chicago also won five straight late that season. … The Bears were 4-2 last season before going on a 10-game losing streak and firing former coach Matt Eberflus along the way. … Chicago leads the NFL with 16 takeaways – 15 in the past four games – and 11 interceptions. … The Bears rank sixth in the NFL with 454 penalty yards after getting flagged 19 times for 176 yards over the past two games. … Chicago is tied for 21st in red zone efficiency (50%) after scoring just two touchdowns on six trips inside the 20 last week. … Chicago had a season-best four sacks last week. … The Bears ran for by far a season high of 222 yards against New Orleans. … In the past two games, RB D’Andre Swift has delivered two of his best performances in two seasons with the Bears. He has run for 232 yards and a touchdown in that span to go with 81 yards receiving and a TD catch. … Baltimore is 14-3 in games immediately following its bye week under John Harbaugh. … The Ravens have an NFL-best four rushing touchdowns of at least 20 yards. … Baltimore’s Mark Andrews needs 74 yards receiving to become the team’s career leader. Derrick Mason holds the record with 5,777. … Henry needs 138 yards rushing to reach 12,000. … The Ravens have scored in 376 consecutive games, the NFL’s longest active streak without being shut out. But they managed only three points in their most recent game against the Los Angeles Rams. … Only four teams since the merger have made the playoffs after starting 1-5, which the Ravens are now trying to do. … Baltimore has lost 11 of its past 13 games when Jackson didn’t play. … Henry is tied with Walter Payton for fifth on the career list with 110 rushing touchdowns.
Fantasy tip
Henry has had some quiet games this season, but he surpassed 100 yards rushing against the Rams and seems like a good option for a productive day against this Chicago defense.
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