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Bears News

Five Bears whose stock went up or down in NFL Week 8 loss to Ravens

1 month agoNicholas Moreano

The Baltimore Ravens ended the Chicago Bears’ four-game winning streak Sunday with a 30-16 victory at M&T Bank Stadium.

Even though the Ravens were without star quarterback Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley provided plenty of positive plays for his team to help stop a four-game losing streak.

The Bears committed 11 penalties for 79 yards and lost the turnover battle 1-0, which had a huge impact on why they didn’t come away with a road victory and fell to 4-3.

Here are five Bears players who raised and lowered their stock in the NFL Week 8 game.

Stock up: Rome Odunze

The Odunze-Caleb Williams connection was the one Bears passing offense aspect that actually produced positive results.

Odunze finished with seven catches for 114 yards, and when Williams needed a target to pop open, the second-year pro was his main target. Odunze caught three passes on third down, including a 27-yarder on third-and-6 that led to a D’Andre Swift fourth-quarter touchdown.

Odunze now has 31 receptions for 473 yards and five TDs this season, leading the Bears in all three categories.

Stock up: D’Andre Swift

This matchup against the Ravens required physical runs by Bears running backs. Swift wasn’t as productive after back-to-back 100-yard-plus games, finishing with 11 carries for 45 yards and one TD, but he came up with some big plays for Chicago’s offense.

Swift accounted for 47 of the 83 total yards on the Bears’ only touchdown drive. His first big play was a 25-yard reception on third-and-6. The Ravens brought the blitz, and the Bears finally had an answer for the pressure, with a quick leak-out pass to Swift. He later ended the drive with a 2-yard TD run.

Stock down: Caleb Williams

The Bears’ starting quarterback played a major part in their loss to the Ravens, with penalties and one poor throw.

The second-year pro was penalized for intentional grounding on two different drives. The first occurred on the Bears’ third possession, in the second quarter. The Ravens sent safety Kyle Hamilton on a blitz on a third-and-9, and Williams tried to throw the ball away as he was being hit. The refs threw a penalty flag, the Bears had to punt the ball, and the Ravens kicked a field goal on the ensuing drive.

On the Bears’ next possession, the Ravens had an unblocked defender rush through the B gap on a second-and-5, and Williams threw the ball away to his left. Odunze was the closest receiver in the area, but Williams again was flagged, pushing the Bears back to midfield. Chicago used its final timeout as a result, and while a Williams pass to rookie tight end Colston Loveland recouped the lost yardage, Cairo Santos couldn’t make a 58-yard field-goal attempt after he and the kicking unit had to sprint on the field for the try.

Williams’ worst mistake, though, happened with the Bears down 16-13 in the fourth quarter. On second-and-10 from the Bears’ 4, Williams tried to hit Odunze on a crossing route, but he was late on the throw, and Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins intercepted the pass. Baltimore scored a touchdown two plays later for a 23-13 lead with 8:13 left.

Williams, who had some inaccurate passes throughout the game, finished 25 of 38 for 285 yards and the one interception.

Stock down: Nick McCloud

The Bears played without their top three starting cornerbacks — Jaylon Johnson (IR), Tyrique Stevenson (shoulder) and Kyler Gordon (IR). So, McCloud became the next man up, and played both in the slot and on the boundary against the Ravens, who had success targeting him.

McCloud gave up three receptions on three targets for 57 yards, and he committed a defensive pass interference penalty on third-and-3 that helped the Ravens extend a drive for a field goal in the second quarter.

Even though Huntley started in Jackson’s place, the Ravens’ backup QB had an efficient day, completing 17 of 22 passes for 186 yards and one TD. He also added 53 rushing yards on eight carries.

Stock down: Theo Benedet

The Bears were in full command on their first drive, but it stalled once they entered deep in the Ravens’ red zone.

As the Bears faced a third-and-goal at their own 5, Williams looked for a potential target to his right side, but he saw nobody open and was sacked by defensive end Mike Green. The Ravens rookie got around left tackle Benedet by using a jump-chop block move and ended up with his first career sack.

Benedet gave up three total quarterback pressures, one week after allowing three quarterback pressures and committing two penalties against the New Orleans Saints.