The Baltimore Ravens are looking incredibly vulnerable heading into Week 8. Baltimore is 1-5 after their bye week and the fate of their entire season feels like it is riding on getting another win. That puts incredible pressure on the Ravens to come out swinging on Sunday against the Bears.
Chicago is no pushover now that Ben Johnson is leading the team. The Bears are 4-2 heading into M&T Bank Stadium after beating up the Saints in Week 7. Their run game could become a problem for Baltimore's depleted defense.
Now is the time for Baltimore to empty their playbook and do whatever it takes to get past Chicago. Otherwise, the entire team could come apart at the seams.
But will the Ravens actually get a huge win against the Bears? And which players will have the biggest impact on the outcome of the game?
Below we will explore three bold predictions ahead of Baltimore's must-win Week 8 matchup against Chicago.
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Lamar Jackson will return, look great in Week 8
Lamar Jackson's status for Week 8 is still up in the air.
The superstar quarterback has not played since Week 4 after suffering a hamstring injury. Baltimore was struggling to win games with him, but they've won zero games without him. And they've looked terrible in the process.
But there is reason to suggest that Jackson could return for the Ravens in Week 8.
Lamar returned to Ravens practice on Wednesday for the first time in 24 days. He as only a limited participant and ceded snaps to Tyler Huntley and Cooper Rush.
That does not guarantee that Jackson will return, but it is definitely a positive sign that he returned to practice at all.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh gave a somewhat encouraging update about Jackson after his cameo at Wednesday's practice.
“I really don’t have any shareable injury intelligence for you guys,” Harbaugh told reporters. “But you can feel the energy level change when Lamar is out there.”
Lamar has been good, not great, when available this season. He only has 869 passing yards with 10 touchdowns and one interception through four games. Perhaps more concerning is the fact that he has not done much in the running game either.
Perhaps Jackson can finally have a get-right game against a weak Bears pass defense unit missing Jaylon Johnson.
My prediction is that Lamar will play in Week 8 and will have his best game of the season, both in terms of passing and running.
Derrick Henry runs wild against Chicago's defense
The Ravens have gone as Derrick Henry does throughout the 2025 season.
Baltimore has leaned heavily on King Henry to provide huge runs to spark their offense. Especially when Lamar has been out of commission.
Henry has remained efficient in 2025 despite all of the factors working against him. He has 88 carries for 439 rushing yards and four touchdowns through just six games played.
The veteran running back had his best game since Week 1 against the rams in Week 6. He logged 24 attempts for 122 yards, which is good for an impressive 5.1 yards per carry.
Henry will be a huge priority for Baltimore in Week 8, regardless of Lamar's status.
Fortunately for Baltimore, they have a great matchup against one of the NFL's worst run defense units.
Chicago's defense has allowed 137.7 rushing yards per game so far this season. That is in the bottom five in the NFL.
The Bears are also ranked 31st in yard allowed per attempt at 5.3 yards. In fact, the only team worse is the Buffalo Bills. That should have Ravens fans licking their chops, as Henry dominated the Bills in Week 1.
I am predicting that Henry will surpass his rushing totals from that Week 1 performance against the Bears on Sunday.
To be clear, that means he will have over 18 carries for 170+ rushing yards and two or more touchdowns.
Roquan Smith has monster performance in revenge game win vs. Bears
The Ravens look like they should be getting Roquan Smith back for this game as well.
Smith has missed the past two games with a hamstring injury. But the veteran linebacker returned to practice this week. He even declared that he'll play on Sunday against his former team.
Yes, Smith views this matchup against the Bears as a revenge game.
Chicago drafted Smith with the eighth overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. However, they traded him to the Ravens back in 2022.
Roquan has not played since exiting against the Chiefs in Week 4, just like Lamar.
He has been incredible when on the field and healthy in 2025. He had 22 total tackles through his first three games before playing the Chiefs.
Baltimore's defense is completely different with Roquan patrolling the middle of the field.
I believe that Baltimore's defense will limit Chicago to fewer than 80 total rushing yards in Week 8. I'm also predicting that Smith will have a great game, logging 10+ tackles as well as at least one sack/interception/forced fumble.
Finally, I have the Ravens getting a much-needed win thanks to the return of both Jackson and Smith.
