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Bears report card: Team grades in NFL Week 8 loss to Ravens

5 months agoScott Bair

BALTIMORE – The Baltimore Ravens didn’t have Lamar Jackson. They weren’t generating takeaways or defending well on a four-game losing streak, with their season on the brink at its midway point.

No way the Bears leave Charm City with an L, right? Wrong.

The Ravens have a talented roster and made some big plays, but the Bears didn’t play winning football in a 30-16 loss to the Ravens.

Penalties were a problem (again). The takeaways dried up, the offense struggled to finish drives, and quarterback Caleb Williams made costly mistakes, as well as several minor ones that ultimately hurt his team overall.

All that leads to a Bears report card they don’t want to bring home to mamma. Let’s see how they graded out in Week 8:

Rushing offense

The Bears averaged 4.2 yards per carry. That’s good. They didn’t get over 100 yards, but came close with 96. Not ideal. D’Andre Swift was impactful at 4.1 yards per carry and scored the game’s only touchdown. He went through large stints on the sideline and didn’t seem to have his usual speed and burst, which could be due to a groin injury he’s been battling recently. The Bears need him healthy, with rookie Kyle Monangai less reliable at this stage.

Grade: C

[READ: Ravens 30, Bears 16: Three observations in Chicago’s NFL Week 8 loss]

Passing offense

Caleb Williams threw an interception deep in Bears territory in the fourth quarter of a one-score game. The Ravens got a touchdown 47 seconds later to make it a two-score game. Plain and simple: that can’t happen. The throw was late and telegraphed. Williams liked the one-on-one matchup with Rome Odunze and said he delivered a bad ball. All three elements were at play in this decisive mistake. He also had two intentional grounding penalties and continues to struggle operating in the red zone. Odunze went over 100 yards. DJ Moore played well. The protection could’ve been better overall, but Williams made critical mistakes and some poor decisions with the ball during a bad day at the office.

Grade: D-plus

Rushing defense

The Bears seemed to have their run defense figured out, but struggled in that area today. The Ravens had 177 yards on 35 carries, which is too much. Dealing with Derrick Henry can feel like too much at times, and they made the future Hall-of-Famer work. The Ravens played with a lead most of the day, and that’s when good run defense becomes imperative. The Bears weren’t able to slow the Ravens down enough, and it was costly.

Grade: C-minus

[READ: Five Bears whose stock went up or down in NFL Week 8 loss to Ravens]

Passing defense

The Ravens’ quarterback had a sky-high completion percentage and high passer rating. No, that wasn’t Jackson. It was Tyler Huntley, who was signed off the practice squad during the prep week. Huntley’s a veteran with some mobility, but this is a guy good defenses stop. Kevin Byard III nearly had a pick, but it was just out of his grasp. Zay Flowers was a problem in the pattern that a banged-up Bears secondary couldn’t solve. The pass rush had two sacks but wasn’t great overall.

Grade: C-minus

Special teams

Tory Taylor dropped a punt at the Ravens’ 1-yard line that was negated by an illegal formation penalty. Josh Blackwell’s hold ruined a good kickoff return by Devin Duvernay. The field goal unit ran a fire drill to end the half, but Cairo Santos came up just short from 58. Duvernay did have a 49-yard return that was a plus, but special teams wasn’t great after several weeks of solid play.

Grade:  C

[WATCH: Bears postgame interviews: Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams, Kevin Byard III and D’Andre Swift]

Coaching

Ben Johnson’s opening script was awesome, using play action a ton and the run game to great effect. The red zone struggles persist, however, and he’s got to get that right. Also, it seemed like defensive coordinator Dennis Allen lost the chess match with Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken on Sunday. And while pre-snap penalties are a player issue first, the coaches haven’t fixed a problem that has been around since the summer.

Grade: D

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