Baltimore Beatdown
The Baltimore Ravens secured a much-needed victory over the Chicago Bears in Week 8, winning by a score of 30-16 at home to snap their losing streak. How did each position group fare in this game? Let’s break it down via a report card overview.
Quarterback: A-
Tyler Huntley had the task of leading the Ravens’ offense in a dire must-win game, while doing so in his first start since last season. Huntley responded to the pressure well and played an efficient game at quarterback, while orchestrating some explosive plays both through the air and on the ground. Huntley completed 17-of-22 passes for 186 passing yards and a huge touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to give the Ravens a 10-point lead. He also unsurprisingly contributed as a runner too, adding 53 rushing yards on eight carries. Perhaps most importantly, Huntley turned the ball over zero times against the NFL’s leading forced turnover defense. The Ravens had been plagued by turnovers during their four-game losing streak and Huntley kept the ball out of harm’s way.
Running Back: B+
Derrick Henry was predictably given another workhorse diet of carries. He was not as efficient this week after exceeding 120+ yards last game, turning 21 rushing attempts into 71 yards. However, he scored two touchdowns just a few yards out of the end zone – an area where the Ravens have gone four-and-out on multiple occasions this year including in Week 6. A huge offensive X-factor for the Ravens was Keaton Mitchell, who finally gave the team juice out of the backfield. Mitchell only ran four times but gained 43 yards with a breakaway run of 25 yards. He looked as explosive as ever and in premier athletic form. No running back caught a pass in this game.
Tight End: B-
In some of his prior year starts for the Ravens, Huntley had often heavily targeted Mark Andrews and other tight ends. That wasn’t the case in this game, with Andrews, Isaiah Likely, and Charlie Kolar earning a combined six targets out of 22 throws. Andrews caught three passes for 34 yards, while Likely had two catches for only eight yards and Kolar had a 1-10-1 stat line. Kolar was the recipient of Huntley’s lone touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, which was paramount to the Ravens winning. Pat Ricard made his long-awaited season debut and had a noticeable immediate impact in the blocking department.
Wide Receiver: B+
Different quarterback, same story for Zay Flowers – who was the team’s leading target-getter by a comfortable margin. Flowers was targeted nine times and reeled in seven passes for 63 yards, with a longest reception of 20 yards. Much of Flowers’ damage was in short-yardage areas, but he made timely catches to move the chains. Rashod Bateman caught only two of four targets but gained 51 yards, his second-best total of the year, thanks to a long 36-yard catch. Deandre Hopkins made a key 10-yard reception on third down to extend...
