A quarterback change for the Chicago Bears (1-4) made a difference in the offensive performance but not in the win column. It won’t get any easier Sunday when the Monsters of the Midway travel to M&T Bank Stadium to take on the Baltimore Ravens (3-2).
The game will be beamed into your face on your local FOX station at 1 p.m.
The Game: Chicago Bears at Baltimore Ravens (-6.5)
O/U: 39.5
The History
The Bears and Ravens have played just five times since 1998 with Chicago holding a 3-2 advantage in the series.
They last played on November 17, 2013 with the Bears winning 23-20 in overtime. Josh McCown outdueled Joe Flacco with 216 yards and a touchdown.
CHICAGO BEARS (1-4)
The energy for the Bears was just different last week with Mitchell Trubisky under center and it showed in the team’s performance. They lost 20-17 to a superior Vikings team and the rookie QB played well enough with very little help from butterfingered wide receivers and tight ends. Trubisky threw his first career touchdown pass to tight end Zach Miller and the two are likely to get even better acquainted this week.
Jordan Howard had a productive game against Minnesota, carrying the ball 19 times for 76 yards. Tarik Cohen, in spite of all the pregame hype, did very little. He rushed six times for 13 yards and caught just one pass for minus-6 yards. The Ravens’ defense is good, but it’s not as good as the Vikings’ unit. Both these running backs will have to carry a heavy load if Chicago stands a chance.
Other than Miller, Trubisky’s only reliable target is Kendall Wright. Last week he caught four passes for 46 yards. This is a guy that was supposed to be the No. 3 wideout when the season began, so that shows you the major problem the Bears’ offense has. Their best pass catcher is running back Benny Cunningham who caught a touchdown on a fake punt. Markus Wheaton is listed as out with a groin injury, but considering he’s contributed all of jack shit so far this season, it shouldn’t make much of a difference.
As long as the opposing team’s quarterback is a statue, the Bears can do some damage. They had four sacks and eight tackles for a loss Monday night with Leonard Floyd supplying two and four respectively. Akeem Hicks had two and three. Once Case Keenum entered the game for the immobile Sam Bradford and moved around a little, all those numbers dipped. Luckily for this Bears’ defensive unit, Joe Flacco is a lawn ornament.
BALTIMORE RAVENS (3-2)
The Ravens bounced back from two consecutive embarrassing losses to hang a 30-17 defeat on the Derek Carr-less Oakland Raiders last week. Flacco had his best game of the season, completing 19 of 26 passes for 222 yards.
The Ravens continue to experiment with their backfield. “Starter” Terrance West had two carries for 17 yards against the Raiders before leaving with an injury, while third year back Javorius Allen led the way with 21 carries for 73 yards and touchdown. Second year man Alex Collins had 12 carries for 55 yards. West, Allen and Collins are all similar in size at around six feet tall and in the 210-220 range so Baltimore obviously wants to pound the ball. They had some success against Oakland and I expect more of the same facing off against the Bears. West is listed as out and won’t play.
With Flacco bouncing back, Mike Wallace and Jeremy Maclin both played a major role in the offense. Wallace caught three passes for 133 yards. Maclin had six catches for 43 yards. I’m surprised tight end Benjamin Watson wasn’t more a part of the gameplan. He should be targeted plenty this week.
This is a rough defense for a rookie quarterback to face. The Ravens are solid at all three levels and Terrell Suggs doesn’t seem to have aged in the last five seasons. They sacked E.J. Manuel three times last week, got five stops in the backfield and forced a turnover.
The Pick
Trubisky is the Bears’ QB of the future, but it’s difficult to see a path where Chicago comes away with a win in Baltimore. Whether the Ravens have knocked off their two stinkers is yet to be determined. I don’t think this game tells us anything, but I like Baltimore to win. Ravens 27, Bears 20
This week
Straight up: 0-1
Against the spread: 0-1
Last week
Straight up: 6-8
Against the spread: 6-8
Season
Straight up: 43-34
Against the spread: 38-39
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