The Ravens got back in the win column and showed signs of getting back on track.
Their defense surrendered a season-low 16 points, and Nate Wiggins' fourth-quarter interception helped seal an important victory. With Lamar Jackson (hamstring) missing his third straight game, Tyler Huntley made his first start at quarterback this season, and his superb performance made that decision pay off.
In a must-win game, the Ravens refused to let victory slip away. Instead, there were high-fives, hugs, and sighs of relief from Baltimore after snapping a four-game losing streak with a 30-16 victory over the Chicago Bears (4-3) at M&T Bank Stadium.
Every win in the NFL feels good, but the Ravens hope the end of their losing streak creates the spark for a new beginning.
"By no means does this mean that things are over," Head Coach John Harbaugh said. "By no means have we accomplished anything close to what we want to accomplish. But this was a really important game for our team."
Here are my five thoughts on the Ravens (2-5) after they returned from their bye in Week 7 and won for the first time in more than a month:
The Ravens' defense is trending up.
It's not an illusion that Baltimore's defense has figured some things out.
The trade for safety Alohi Gilman has brought more veteran stability to the secondary over the last two games and has freed All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton to attack in more ways. Hamilton had eight tackles and blitzed Bears quarterback Caleb Williams into an intentional grounding penalty.
All-Pro inside linebacker Roquan Smith also returned after a two-game absence and led the Ravens with 12 tackles. Smith's leadership and ability to anticipate what the opponent will do before the ball is snapped are critical to Baltimore's defense.
Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr said the Ravens spent much of their bye week working on ways to create more pressure on quarterbacks and it showed. Rookie Mike Green got his first career sack to end Chicago's opening drive, and the Ravens had four hits on Williams and pressured him in key moments.
Chicago opened the game with long drives on its first two possessions, but Baltimore's defense buckled down in the red zone and held the Bears to field goals. Being down just 6-0 instead of 14-0 was huge for the Ravens, and as the game progressed, Baltimore got a better feel for what the Bears wanted to do and snuffed it out. Wiggins' fourth-quarter pick that set up a 10-yard touchdown pass from Huntley to Charlie Kolar gave the Ravens a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, and they never relinquished it.
The Ravens' defense got progressively better during Orr's first year as coordinator in 2024. They may follow a similar script in 2025.
Tyler Huntley is a backup quarterback who doesn't back down.
Huntley had a sparkling performance in a huge spot – 17 for 22, 186 yards, one touchdown, 116.9 quarterback rating, no turnovers.
Regardless of the circumstances, Huntley plays with freedom and confidence that resonates with his teammates. It has been difficult for the Ravens to win without Jackson since he became their starting quarterback in 2019, but when Huntley plays this well, they can certainly win.
The Ravens hope Jackson will be back for Thursday night's game against the Miami Dolphins, but Huntley deserves credit for rising to the occasion. Teammates said he was cooking all week during practice, and it carried over into the game. He made short, long, and clutch throws that led the Ravens to victory.
Huntley said he wasn't fazed on Saturday when he found out he would start.
"I prepare every day like I'm the starter," Huntley said. "It really wasn't too much of a surprise. I'm like, 'Shoot, let's do it.'"
Winning after their bye week remains a big thing for the Ravens.
This victory raised Harbaugh's career record to 15-3 in games immediately following a bye week. Success after the bye is nothing new for Harbaugh, but needing a victory so badly after this year's break was foreign territory.
Losing this game would have further damaged the Ravens' playoff hopes and psyche, but instead they played crisply and showed enough new wrinkles to keep the Bears off balance. Not only did the defense play well, but the offense rose to the occasion. Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard made his season debut after missing six games with a calf injury and his blocking added physicality to the offense.
Ricard credited Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken for a creative game plan.
"A lot of great things, different personnel groups to make us less predictable and put guys in the right positions," Ricard said. "Getting points is big for the offense, just for morale, moving the ball, getting points. Getting the bye week, taking a deep breath, getting a lot more guys back healthy, it just feels like it's a fresh new start for us."
The next step for the Ravens is winning back-to-back games.
The Ravens haven't won two straight games this season and have a short week before traveling to face the Dolphins. If they are going to make a serious run at the postseason, the Ravens will have to put together a lengthy winning streak at some point.
Thursday night would be an opportunity to start, but the NFL is nothing if not unpredictable. The Dolphins (2-6) dominated the Atlanta Falcons, 34-10, in Atlanta while the Ravens were beating the Bears.
Anyone who thinks Baltimore can beat the Dolphins just by showing up Thursday night is making a mistake, whether Jackson plays or not.
"Thursday is a really big game for our team," Harbaugh said. "And our guys are keenly aware of that."
Extra Points:
- Derrick Henry's 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter gave him 111 rushing touchdowns for his career. That moved him one ahead of Walter Payton (110) for fifth place on the all-time list for rushing touchdowns. Henry led the Ravens with 71 yards on 21 carries.
- Keaton Mitchell provided a key offensive spark for Baltimore with 43 yards on four carries. He also had 66 total yards on two kickoff returns. Harbaugh said they determined during the bye that they needed to "tag" plays for their speedy running back.
- The Ravens held Chicago to just 96 yards rushing, led by D'Andre Swift, who had 45 yards on 11 carries. Swift was coming off back-to-back games with over 100 yards rushing.
- After the Ravens decided not to go for it on fourth-and-5in the fourth quarter from Chicago's 45-yard line, Jordan Stout pinned the Bears at their own 4-yard line with a well-placed punt. That led to Wiggins' interception two plays later. It was a good day for the special teams overall, as rookie kicker Tyler Loop also hit all three of his field-goal attempts.
- Zay Flowers was Huntley's favorite target with seven catches for 63 yards.
