Ravens Report Card Vs. Bears

Baltimore improves to 7-3.

OWINGS MILLS, Md, — The Ravens beat the Bears 16-13 in Week 11, managing another come-from-behind win. 

Here's the Report Card:

Offense

Quarterback — Ravens backup quarterback Tyler Huntley was in the unenviable position of having to fill in for Lamar Jackson, who was a late scratch because of an illness. Huntley had some early jitters but got more comfortable as the game wore on. Huntley threw a 30-yard pass to Sammy Watkins that gave the Ravens the ball inside the Chicago 5, setting up Devonta Freeman's winning touchdown run. Huntley completed 26 of 36 pass attempts for 219 yards with an interception. He also ran for 40 yards on seven carries. It was a solid performance despite being sacked six times. Grade: B

Running Backs — The Ravens running backs performed much better, and the team finished with 123 yards on the ground. Devonta Freeman (16 carries, 49 yards, 1 touchdown) ran hard and picked up some key first down. Latavius Murray (10 carries, 32 yards) also moved the chains with some aggressive runs. Grade: B

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends — Tight end Mark Andrews did a good job calming Huntley down with his ability to get open and make some acrobatic catches. Andrews finished with 73 yards on eight receptions (10 targets). Nick Boyle made his 2021 debut and had a drop. Sammy Watkins (three catches, 48 yards) had a 29-yard reception that set up Freeman's game-winning touchdown run. Grade: B- 

Offensive Line — This group was under pressure the entire day and allowed Huntley to take some hits. The tackles — Alejandro Villanueva and Patrick Mekari — were sometimes overmatches against the Bears' athletic defensive ends and linebackers. However, the o-line was mostly solid with run blocking. Grade: C-

Defense

Defensive Line — This group was shorthanded without nose tackle Brandon Williams for a second straight game. However, both Justin Madubuike and Justin Ellis played effectively.  The Bears managed 92 yards rushing. The d-line also got some interior pressure. Grade: B

Linebackers — Outside linebacker Tyus Bowser is having a stellar season and was a key difference in the game. Bowser finished with two sacks and had a third called back because of a penalty. He also had five tackles. Patrick Queen had a team-high seven tackles, including one for a loss. Justin Houston had a sack, the 101st of his career. Grade: B+

Secondary — The big plays were almost fatal to the Ravens again. Andy Dalton gave the Bears a 7-6 lead on a 60-yard touchdown pass to Darnell Mooney. At least three Ravens defenders missed a tackle on the play. Then, Bears wide receiver Marquise Goodwin beat Ravens cornerback Chris Westry on a double move and caught a 49-yard touchdown pass from Dalton with under two minutes left. Grade: D

Special Teams

Justin Tucker converted all three field-goal attempts in tough conditions.  Sam Koch averaged 43.3 yards on six punts. Devin Duvernay averaged 9.5 yards on two punt returns. Grade: A

Coaching

The Ravens had to make quick adjustments without Jackson in the lineup. Baltimore had to adjust again when Dalton entered the game without Anthony Averett and Jimmy Smith. In the end, the Ravens made enough plays to win the game despite dealing with the injuries. The coaching staff did have some questionable play calls on both sides of the ball. Grade: B-