Baltimore Beatdown
The Ravens finally earned their second win of the year, and it will hopefully serve as a spark to get things back on track. It was a thrilling victory over the Chicago Bears, but not without its share of mistakes. Let talk about it.
Tyler Huntley: What a performance. Huntley came in and did everything in his power to keep the Ravens’ season on track this year. He went 17/22 (77%) for 186 yards, a touchdown, and most importantly, no turnovers, though he got away with a few mistakes. He also ran for 53 yards on eight attempts, extending drives and getting into Bears territory multiple times. He kept the Ravens in the game, all game, and rightfully earned the permanent backup job over Cooper Rush.
Derrick Henry: Once again, the Ravens made an overt effort to get Henry going. He ran the ball 21 times on Sunday, totaling only 71 yards but punching in two touchdowns. His per-carry average yards per was a little lower than expected for someone of Henry’s caliber, but he also had multiple bursts going for eight to ten yards. Hopefully, we’ll see the explosive runs return when Lamar Jackson gets back.
Zay Flowers: Though the Ravens leaned on the run game with Huntley under center, they were not afraid to attack a Bears secondary missing their top three cornerbacks. Flowers was the tip of the spear, catching all six of his targets for 57 yards in the first half. As the game went on, he drew more attention from the defense which opened up space for his teammates elsewhere on the field. Flowers added two more touches for 14 yards to finish with 71 yards on the day.
Keaton Mitchell: After the game, head coach John Harbaugh said there was an emphasis during the bye week on getting Mitchell involved in the offense. It showed today. He had carries for 43 yards, including a big 25-yard run, as well as two good kick returns. Why did it take so long to get someone as explosive as Mitchell on the field? I don’t know, but I hope it continues.
DeAndre Hopkins: Another game, another impact play from Nuk. He still isn’t playing a ton of snaps, but when he is targeted, it matters. Take today, as an example. The Ravens had the ball with less than four minutes to go and were trying to put the game away. They got into a 3rd-and-long situation, and Huntley went right to Hopkins in a 1-on-1 matchup on the outside. The veteran wideout used his physicality to get separation and make the catch to extend the drive.
Nate Wiggins: Wiggins followed Davante Adams in Week 6 with mixed results. This week, he seemed to line up with Rome Odunze on a consistent basis. The Bears picked on Wiggins early on, but the second-year cornerback kept his head in the game, making multiple tackles around the line of scrimmage and delivered arguably the biggest play...
