The Bears rolled into Baltimore riding a four-game heater, puffed up on momentum and feel-good headlines. Then the Ravens — without Lamar freakin’ Jackson — stripped away the facade like a pissed-off TSA agent.
A 30-16 final score doesn’t even do the beatdown justice. This wasn’t just a loss. It was a reveal. And if you’re still clinging to the idea that this team is a real NFC threat, pour yourself a stiff drink and buckle up — because we’re diving into the five biggest losers from this faceplant in Baltimore.
1. Caleb Williams
This was easily Caleb’s worst outing since his midseason slump started whispering red flags. He threw for 285 empty-ass yards, no touchdowns, and one brutal interception that basically sealed the game. But even those stats are lying to you.
Williams was off-target on eight throws — six of those in the fourth quarter when the Bears were still clinging to hope. His off-target rate now sits at 21.5%, per ESPN Research. That’s second-worst among all starters. Only Michael Penix Jr. is worse. You don’t want to be anywhere near Penix’s neighborhood when we’re talking accuracy.
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The back-breaking pick? That was a misread and a misthrow rolled into one disaster burrito. Williams tried to force a ball to Odunze from his own 4-yard line. Nate Wiggins read it like he had the route printed on his forearm. Two plays later, touchdown Ravens.
But the real red flag? Williams called it a “good read.” Ben Johnson disagreed, saying there was “another option.” That’s not just a disagreement. That’s a potential fracture between QB1 and HC1. And if that cracks any wider, this whole offense could go into the tank.
Two intentional grounding penalties, both drive-killers. One cost them a shot at a real halftime score. The other forced Cairo Santos into a 58-yard prayer. Spoiler: it missed.
His mechanics are slipping. He missed a WIDE-open Loveland on 4th-and-goal by three feet. In a league where windows are already tight, you can’t be missing wide-open gimme throws.
2. The Offensive Line
Coming in, Chicago’s O-line was ranked 4th in the league by PFN. Then they played like a drunk high school JV unit.
Short-yardage blocking? A joke. On their first red zone trip, they let a Raven linebacker shoot through like he was late to dinner and stuff Monangai for a loss.
Swift had been balling out, averaging over 100 scrimmage yards per game. On Sunday? Just 45 yards on 11 carries. That’s not just on Swift. The Ravens’ run D ranked 26th, giving up over 134 yards a game. And the Bears still couldn’t open lanes.
Rookie Monangai? Ghosted. Five carries. 21 yards. That’s it. You can’t feature a back if the line can’t create an inch of daylight.
And let’s talk discipline:
- Joe Thuney, the All-Pro, false started at his own 4-yard line. Timing couldn’t be worse.
- Loveland false started on 3rd-and-1 in the red zone. That turned into a failed TD attempt and a field goal.
The line allowed just one sack, but context matters. That sack came on 2nd-and-goal, pushing them out of range. Combine that with their red zone collapse, and the O-line might’ve quietly lost them this game.
3. The Makeshift Secondary
Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon ALL out.
In their place? Practice squad warriors Nahshon Wright, Nick McCloud, and Josh Blackwell. Baltimore started Tyler Huntley, and he torched them. 17-of-22. 186 yards. 1 TD. 116.9 passer rating. And he ran for 53 more.
This wasn’t even Lamar-lite. This was Lamar-fanfiction.
They let Huntley complete his first nine passes. McCloud committed a killer DPI. Wright got flagged for illegal hands. Combined, those boneheaded penalties led directly to six Ravens points. In a one-score game until the fourth quarter, that’s massive.
And the final drive? Wright got cooked by DeAndre Hopkins on 3rd-and-7
(though it should’ve been called an OPI and face mask on Hopkins). Two plays later, Derrick Henry bulldozed in the dagger TD. Game over.
The Bears had been thriving off takeaways (15 over their last 4 games). Against Huntley? Zero. When this defense isn’t flipping fields, the offense has to do it all — and they’re just not built for that right now.
4. Richard Hightower and the Special Teams
Hightower’s unit came in with the NFL’s third-best PFF grade (90.8). They left with their tails between their legs.
- Gave up 30.8 yards per kick return.
- Botched punt coverage led to the Ravens pinning the Bears at the 4-yard line — the same spot where Williams threw his killer INT.
- Josh Blackwell flagged on the opening kickoff. That set the tone.
- Three special teams penalties. That’s almost 30% of the Bears’ total flags.
Santos hit 3-of-4 field goals, but missed a crucial 58-yarder that felt like a panic attempt after the intentional grounding mess. Even his make — a 47-yarder — barely scraped the crossbar. His range is officially a concern.
Hightower’s in his fifth year. If this keeps up, he won’t see a sixth.
5. Ben Johnson and the Redzone Offense
Since Week 3, the Bears are dead last in red zone TD percentage (36.8%) and average just 3.9 points per red zone trip. Sunday was no different.
They opened the game with 125-8 yardage dominance in the first quarter. And came away with six points. Two field goals. That’s like winning the lottery and buying scratchers.
They had multiple chances from inside the 10. Came away with zilch.
And penalties? The drive-killing kind:
- Two intentional groundings.
- False starts in scoring range.
- 11 total flags for 79 yards.
Ben Johnson admitted he whiffed on the 4th-and-goal QB sneak call. But worse than that? His postgame message. He put the accountability on the players.
“We get away with it occasionally… I really put it on the leaders there in the locker room.”
Translation: The coaches are tired of babysitting. This offense has no identity in crunch time. And it’s starting to show in public comments.
Final Verdict
This wasn’t just a bad day. It was a systemic failure.
They lost the turnover battle, couldn’t finish drives, and let a backup QB look like a damn Pro Bowler. The Bears are 4-3 and still in the playoff mix, sure — but let’s not pretend this team is built for a deep run.
Until Caleb Williams gets his footwork right, the offensive line finds their brains, and Ben Johnson stops pointing fingers, this team is just treading water.
Playoff-caliber teams bury backup quarterbacks. The Bears just got buried by one
