The Chicago Bears had their four-game winning streak snapped Sunday, as Tyler Huntley and the Baltimore Ravens handed Ben Johnson's squad a 30-16 loss.
Huntley shined in his first start of the season with Lamar Jackson still out nursing a hamstring injury, completing 17 of 22 passes for 186 yards and one touchdown while adding 53 yards on the ground. The stats may not be mind-blowing, but he brought consistency to an offense that desperately needed it. Derrick Henry scored two of Baltimore's three touchdowns and rushed for 71 yards on 21 carries. Zay Flowers was Huntley's clear-cut WR1, catching seven passes for 63 yards on nine targets.
As for the Bears, this offense struggled to finish drives. Caleb Williams completed 25 of 38 passes for 285 yards and one interception, while D'Andre Swift was held to 45 rushing yards and Chicago's lone touchdown on 11 carries.
Let's take a look at what went down in Baltimore.
Huntley didn't break any records with his performance Sunday, but he brought stability to a unit that was flailing without Jackson. He missed just five passes, made plays with his legs and got the Ravens offense back to scoring 30 points.
The question has to be asked: Why was Cooper Rush starting over the quarterback who made a Pro Bowl with the Ravens a few years ago?
There's no question the Bears' four-game winning streak was in large part thanks to good defense. Chicago entered this week as the NFL's leader in takeaways (16) and turnover margin (+11). But what happens when Dennis Allen's unit doesn't control the game? We found out Sunday.
Chicago scored field goals on each of its first two possessions and picked up large chunks of yardage thanks to Rome Odunze. However, both drives stalled just outside of the red zone. The Bears offense just couldn't finish strong. Speaking of the red zone, the Bears went 1-for-3 inside the opponent's 20-yard line. They scored just one touchdown against a defense that has allowed plenty of touchdowns this year.
The Ravens entered Sunday boasting the third-worst defense in the NFL (380.8 total yards allowed per game) and worst scoring defense (32.3 points allowed per game). The fact that this Bears offense scored just 16 points is concerning. Williams was far from sharp, the ground game never got going, and it feels like D.J. Moore needs to be more involved.
The Bears were within striking distance for the majority of the afternoon. That is, until Williams made a critical mistake in the fourth quarter.
The Bears had possession down three points with a long field to work with. That's when the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft threw a bad pass that Nate Wiggins intercepted.
This turnover set up a Charlie Kolar touchdown, which again extended Baltimore's lead to double digits.
The Bears were looking for a quick touchdown with just over one minute remaining in the fourth quarter, and D.J. Moore helped move the offense down the field with this incredible one-handed catch. Pretty impressive throw from Williams as well.
Derrick Henry passed the legendary Walter Payton on the all-time rushing touchdowns list, as he punched in his 111th score on Sunday. This was the first of two scores for Henry, so he now has 112. "King Henry" now trails just Adrian Peterson (120), Marcus Allen (123), LaDainian Tomlinson (145) and Emmitt Smith (164).
The Ravens are on a short week, as they travel to play the Miami Dolphins on "Thursday Night Football." They may finally have Jackson back under center. As for the Bears, they will face Joe Flacco and the Bengals in Cincinnati on Sunday.
The Bears drove 64 yards down the field on seven plays with the seconds winding down, and Caleb Williams missed D.J. Moore in the end zone on fourth-and-goal. A bizarre sequence where the Bears wasted too much clock. A fitting end for a bad performance from Chicago.
The Ravens weren't satisfied with just running clock up seven points, they wanted to score.
Tyler Huntley leads an eight-play, 64-yard drive, and Derrick Henry finds the end zone for the second time today. This one may be out of reach for Chicago.
What a performance for Tyler Huntley. Why wasn't he starting over Cooper Rush all along?
BAL 30
CHI 16
3:02 remaining in the fourth quarter
Baltimore is driving, and now in enemy territory. The clock is at 3:06 and the Bears have just one timeout trailing by 7.
The Bears went 48 yards on 10 plays, and Cairo Santos is good from 47 yards out. His third FG of the day.
The Ravens now lead 23-16 with 5:06 remaining in the fourth quarter. This Bears D needs to make a stand and not let Derrick Henry take over the game and chew clock.
The lead is back up to 10 points, as Huntley used the short field gifted by his defense to hit Charlie Kolar for the touchdown.
Happy National TEs day for all who celebrate
The Bears got the ball back with a chance to tie or take the lead, but instead, Caleb Williams was picked off by Nate Wiggins -- giving Baltimore a short field.
A brutal mistake by Chicago.
It was their best drive of the day. Caleb Williams marched his offense 83 yards down the field on 11 plays, and D'Andre Swift scored from 3 yards out for the Bears' first touchdown of the day.
We have a game!
BAL 16
CHI 13
12:22 remaining in the fourth quarter
Another Tyler Loop FG puts the Ravens up 16-6. Holding the Ravens out of the end zone is a small victory for Chicago, but this Bears offense needs to do SOMETHING.
Snoop Huntley is running wild on this Bears defense. He's now up to 42 yards rushing on the day.
The Bears' performance today is bordering on the embarrassing. Blackwell fumbled the kick return following the Ravens FG, but Chicago did recover. Then, Caleb Williams and Co. go three-and-out. Nothing is going right.
Tyler Huntley came out firing to begin the third quarter, but the Ravens' drive stalls in the red zone. Tyler Loop adds three points to Baltimore's lead with a 28-yard FG.
Can the Bears finally find the end zone?
Caleb Williams 12/17 114 yards
Tyler Huntley 11/12 110 yards
Derrick Henry 9 carries 38 yards 1 TD
Caleb Williams 2 carries 24 yards
D'Andre Swift 4 carries 23 yards
Kyle Monangai 4 carries 13 yards
Zay Flowers 6 catches 57 yards
Mark Andrews 2 catches 29 yards
Rome Odunze four catches 57 yards
Colston Loveland 2 catches 27 yards
First downs: BAL 10 CHI 10
Total yards: BAL 146 CHI 168
Penalties: BAL 4-30 CHI 6-47
Following a Bears three-and-out, the Ravens put together another 12-play drive that ended in points. This time, Huntley's drive stalled in the red zone, but Tyler Loop came on and hit a 42-yard field goal to give Baltimore a 10-6 lead right before the halftime break.
The Ravens offense got going on their second possession of the game. Tyler Huntley led this unit 62 yards down the field on 12 plays, and Derrick Henry punched in a 2-yard TD to give Baltimore a 7-6 lead.
Henry now has 111 career rushing touchdowns, which ranks fifth-most in NFL history. "The King" passed Walter Payton.
Chicago went 61 yards on 11 plays on its second possession, and Santos converted on a 39-yard FG. The Bears are certainly moving the ball, but both possessions have stalled near the end zone.
CHI 6
BAL 0
15:00 remaining in the second quarter
The Bears are moving the ball once again, and Rome Odunze has been an impact player early on. He's caught four passes for 57 yards.
Tyler Huntley couldn't get anything going on his first possession of the game. Following a Derrick Henry run on first down, "Snoop" was sacked by Montez Sweat on second down. That set up a third-and-9, and Zay Flowers couldn't move the chains with a 7-yard reception.
With Lamar Jackson out again I'm taking the Bears in this matchup.
Bears -1.5 alternate spread + Caleb Williams 2 passing TDs = +288
Bears ML + D'Andre Swift 40 rushing yards + Colston Loveland 2 receptions = +234
Hey Caleb Williams, save some clock for the Ravens. The Bears' opening possession lasted 8:10, as Chicago picked up 64 yards on 13 plays. The Bears got as close as three yards from the end zone, but couldn't punch it in. Rookie Mike Green sacked Williams on third-and-goal.
Santos is good from 32 yards out. Bears lead 3-0.
This Bears offense is moving the ball easily. Caleb Williams completed an 18-yard pass to Colston Loveland on the first play from scrimmage, then came right back two plays later and hit Rome Odunze for 16 yards.
