Arguably no team has underwhelmed more early in the 2025 season than the Baltimore Ravens, who began the year as Super Bowl Contenders but enter their Week 8 matchup with the Chicago Bears with a mere 1-5 record. Injuries have played a factor, but the Ravens are still just 1-3 with Lamar Jackson in the lineup.
People can point to Jackson's injury all they want, but Baltimore has not looked like the team fans expected it to be in any facet of the game. The Ravens' defense was one of the stingiest units in 2024, but it has been one of the league's worst through six games.
As of their Week 6 bye, the Ravens allow the most points per game in the league and the third-most total yards per game. They also rank in the bottom three in touchdowns allowed, red zone defense, defensive sack rate and passing yards allowed.
The Ravens' schedule has certainly not made it easy on them. Baltimore has already played the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams. A contending team should win at least two of those games, but they are not nearly as bad as their record suggests.
If they are to turn their season around, the Ravens have to get the job done in Week 8 against the Bears. Coming out of its bye week, the team expects Jackson back in the lineup, but the must-win matchup is winnable either way.
The Ravens have hit multiple franchise lows amid their 1-5 start, and now face a streaking Bears team that enters Week 8 riding a four-game win streak. Regardless, they enter the matchup as the betting favorite and will prove to be the better team after an additional week of preparation.
Ravens' defense needs to turn the tide against Bears
Getting Lamar Jackson back will not solve all the Ravens' issues. Baltimore needs to improve defensively if it wants any hope of righting the ship, and its Week 8 matchup with the Bears provides the perfect opportunity.
Credit to Ben Johnson for his work with Caleb Williams, but this is still one of the most run-dominant teams in the league. The Bears run the ball at the fifth-highest rate in the league, shades of Johnson's time running the Detroit Lions' offense over the last three seasons.
On paper, running the ball has worked against the Ravens so far. Baltimore is allowing 134.3 rushing yards per game, the seventh-most in the league. They have particularly gone downhill after losing Nnamdi Madubuike and Broderick Washington, who both remain on injured reserve.
But while the Ravens have been atrocious against the run in 2025, they were elite in that area in 2024. They allowed the fewest rushing yards and fewest yards per attempt last season, holding opponents to just 3.6 yards per carry.
With most of the same personnel still on the team, some positive regression is to be expected. Teams do not just inexplicably swing to opposite ends of the totem pole within such a short time frame. A rejuvenated Ravens defense should be at its best in Week 8 after additional preparation.
It has not shown up in the win column yet, but Baltimore has already shown improvement in that regard. After allowing David Montgomery to torch them with 151 rushing yards in Week 3, the Ravens have not allowed a single running back to top 60 rushing yards against them.
They held Nick Chubb, Kyren Williams, Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco to 180 total yards over their last three games on just 4.0 yards per carry. Only one player, Chubb, has averaged over 4.0 yards per carry against them since Week 3.
Bears' injuries piling up
One of the biggest advantages the Ravens gained from their bye week was their clean injury report. Lamar Jackson is still questionable — along with Marlon Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton — but Baltimore got Roquan Smith, Patrick Ricard and Chidobe Awuzie back in its lineup.
Meanwhile, the Bears, which had their bye in Week 5, are struggling with health. D'Andre Swift and DJ Moore top Chicago's injury report, which also includes tight end Cole Kmet, offensive tackle Braxton Jones, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and cornerbacks Tyrique Stevenson and Nahshon Wright.
Regardless of who plays, the Bears should have more inactive starters than the Ravens. Baltimore has been one of the most injured teams in the league thus far, and should be as healthy as it has been all season in Week 8.
Injuries do not tell the whole story, but Baltimore will finally be on the positive end of that conversation. A fully healthy Ravens team is more talented and has a higher ceiling than the Bears, regardless of their records.
Jackson should return in Week 8, but even if he does not, the Ravens are still the better team. Baltimore desperately needs the victory and should get back on track against the Bears. Despite how poorly their season has gone so far, the birds have a favorable upcoming schedule and are still in play to win the AFC North.
