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In Week 11, the Baltimore Ravens missed the services of their best player in Lamar Jackson who had a surprise absence due to an illness. Still, John Harbaugh's squad managed to carve a 16-13 road win over the struggling Chicago Bears.
Without their QB1, it is expected that the Ravens' offense won't be at its best. However, the defense and special teams did just enough to give the team a much-needed win. After the tight encounter against Chicago, Baltimore was able to successfully retain its position at the top of the AFC North with a 7-3 record.
Certainly enough, Harbaugh and the rest of the Ravens would want to learn from the mistakes that they've committed in a bid to keep their momentum going in the weeks to come. The team is set to have another challenging matchup as they aim to nab another win when they host division rival Cleveland Browns in Week 12 action.
Here are three takeaways from the Ravens' most recent victory over the Bears:
3. The defensive unit still has more room for improvement.
On Sunday, defensive coordinator Don Martindale saw his men commit crucial errors which allowed the Bears to hang around and keep things close despite not having a good rhythm on the field. In the third quarter, a couple of Ravens defenders had miscommunication off a screen pass that gave Bears receiver Darnell Mooney enough space to score a 60-yard TD.
Another Bears pass-catcher in Marquise Goodwin also got the better of his matchup against Ravens cornerback Chris Westry to notch a 49-yard touchdown to take the lead in crunch time. Despite the errors, Baltimore's defense still got solid outputs from linebacker Tyus Bowser who led the way with two sacks along with safety Patrick Queen who recorded four total tackles against the Bears.
It was a good overall performance from Martindale's rotation though it is certain that they can still improve and have a better performance in the weeks to come.
2. Justin Tucker played a key role in the Ravens' offensive attack.
With the absence of some key offensive players, the Ravens were already expected to struggle in the scoring department. Indeed, they didn't get to have their usual flow on offense with both Lamar Jackson and Marquise Brown out. Fortunately for the Ravens, they have a reliable kicker in Justin Tucker who had an efficient outing and helped put up points across the board.
The four-time Pro Bowler went perfect from field-goal range as he nailed all three attempts to score a total of 10 points for the Ravens. With such a tight encounter, Baltimore would've seen a different outcome against the Bears if it wasn't for Tucker's accuracy and production from the field.
1. Tyler Huntley put up a valiant effort to lead Baltimore to a win.
Heading to the game, it was expected that Lamar Jackson would suit up since he was able to see action in their final practice before their Week 11 matchup. However, he eventually sat out which instated backup QB Tyler Huntley as a starter against the Bears.
The absence of receiver Marquise Brown due to a thigh injury definitely made things more challenging for the Utah product as he was left with limited options to throw to on the field. Though he recorded an interception, Huntley still put up a respectable performance with 219 yards on 26-of-36 passes completed to get the dub for his team.
Without a doubt, the Ravens didn't get to play their best game but they did just enough to mount a comeback victory against the Bears and remain at the top spot of the AFC North.
