Baltimore vs. Chicago
Ravens Feisty in Coming Back but Fall to Underdog Bears in Overtime to Drop Back to .500
The Baltimore Ravens can't seem to get over the hump.
After returning home with a great chance to improve to 4-2 by hosting a Chicago Bears team that was 1-4 coming in and featuring rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, the Ravens found themselves down 17-3 in the third quarter and—while they came back to tie the game late and force overtime—fell 27-24 in overtime on Sunday.
Baltimore (3-3) turned the ball over three times (one interception was returned for a touchdown) and couldn't stop Bears (2-4) running back Jordan Howard, who rushed for 167 yards, including a 53-yarder in overtime to set up the game-winning field goal by Connor Barth.
In all, the Ravens defense was gashed for 231 yards on the ground and couldn't force Trubisky into any mistakes. He threw for 113 yards on 8-of-16 passing and no interceptions, but the rookie did lose a fumble. Tarik Cohen also had a 21-yard touchdown pass in his only attempt on a halfback pass to Zach Miller.
Falling behind early and losing the turnover battle won't equal many wins, no matter the quality of the opponent, according to a disappointed John Harbaugh after the game.
"Obviously, they made the plays they needed to make, especially with the turnovers and interceptions," the head coach said to the media after the game. "It's not for lack of heart [on our part], that's for sure; it's not for lack of effort. It's for lack of execution at times, and that's what we have to get better at. We just have to improve all the way across the board."
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Regarding the breakdown in run defense, Harbaugh said that he wasn't able to pinpoint it to just one thing quite yet.
"It's going to be different things on different plays. They blocked well, they had good backs that broke some tackles. That's always how it is when you run the ball for [that many] yards."
The Ravens continue to struggle on offense, as quarterback Joe Flacco was just 24-of-41 for 180 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions. Alex Collins was the leading rusher with just 74 yards. In fact, both Baltimore touchdowns in the game came from special teams—a Bobby Rainey 96-yard kickoff return with 5:08 left in the fourth quarter and then a 77-yard punt return for a score by Michael Campanaro with just 1:37 left. Flacco did complete a pass to Nick Boyle for a two-point conversion that tied the game after the Campanaro's heroics.
"All losses sting; you do not feel good coming into the locker room after a game like that," Flacco told reporters after the game. "The fact that you are feeling a little hopeful there at the end—I don’t know if that makes it any worse. It is all just bad."
The Ravens were also without wide receiver Jeremy Maclin going into the game, and Breshad Perriman left in the second quarter with a concussion.
The turnovers and lack of offense were disappointing markers for a team that won 30-17 at Oakland last week and appeared to turn the corner on the offensive side of the ball. They also didn't turn the ball over in that win, didn't allow a sack, and only committed one penalty. On the other hand, they were penalized five times in just the first half on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.
While Flacco wrote some of that off to the nature of the way things go week-by-week in the NFL, he also acknowledged that the team can turn things around.
"You have to be able to deal with the ups and downs of a season and continue to roll through," the veteran quarterback said. "We have to look at ourselves hard and look at ourselves as the reason that we are 3-3 and just correct what we can and move forward."
GAME RECAP
Neither team could breakthrough in the first quarter, as the Ravens and Bears punted each time they had the ball. Chicago had some success to start the second quarter, getting the ball to the Baltimore 5-yard line, but they had to settle for a 24-yard field goal from Barth to open the scoring at 3-0.
Baltimore responded by getting the ball down to the Bears 29, but Maxx Williams fumbled the ball away after catching a pass from Flacco. After getting the ball back from a punt, Flacco threw an interception that left Chicago with the ball at the Ravens' 20-yard line. Two plays later, Cohen hit the halfback pass to Miller to make the score 10-0.
The Ravens were able to drive into the Bears' red zone just before halftime. The drive stalled at the 9-yard line and Justin Tucker booted a 27-yard field goal to make the score 10-3 at the half.
Trubisky threw his only touchdown of the game to Dion Sims for a 27-yard score with 6:01 left in the third quarter to put Baltimore in a 17-3 hole, but Rainey's 96-yard kickoff return was the next play, so it was again at seven-point game at 17-10.
Baltimore opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with a 31-yard field goal and got the ball back again down just four points. With the ball in Bears' territory, Flacco was picked off by Adrian Amos, who ran it back 90 yards for a touchdown to once again give the Bears breathing room at 24-13.
But the Ravens kept showing heart. Tucker hit a 50-yarder to make it an eight-point game, and then after stopping Howard on a 3rd-and-1 that would've iced the game for the Bears, Campanaro took Pat O'Donnell's 53-yard punt back 77 yards for the second special teams score of the game. The Ravens still needed the two-point conversion, and they got it when Flacco found Boyle to tie the game.
In overtime, each team got the ball once and punted, and then on the first play of the Bears' second possession in the extra session, Howard took the ball from the Bears' 7-yard line and went 53 yards to the Baltimore 40. Chicago was able to move the ball to the Ravens' 22, and that's when Barth hit the 40-yarder for the win.
UP NEXT
Things won't get easier for the Ravens, as they travel to 4-2 Minnesota, who logged a 23-10 victory over Green Bay at home today, which was their third win in their last four games.
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