The Chicago Bears thought they had seized a victory when Andy Dalton made a 49-yard touchdown throw on a 4th-and-11 play late in the fourth quarter, but Tyler Huntley and the Baltimore Ravens had other ideas, as a Devonta Freeman touchdown run sent the Bears to a 16-13 defeat.
The Ravens only needed five plays to make it 72 yards down the field, seizing a three-point lead with just 22 seconds remaining in the contest. Huntley, starting in place of Lamar Jackson, found Sammy Watkins for a 30-yard gain, and Freeman coasted into the end zone on the next play to earn the win.
With Jackson out of the lineup for the Ravens, it isn’t surprising that they got off to a slow start offensively, but the Bears couldn’t build on the momentum generated in their last game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Although Fields led the Bears on a 10-play, 64-yard drive for their first possession, the drive stalled on an attempted pitch play on 3rd-and-5, and Cairo Santos missed a field goal to leave the game scoreless about halfway through the first quarter.
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From there, the teams traded punts on three consecutive drives, but after a Fields fumble at the Baltimore 36-yard line, the Ravens were finally able to put something together. On a 10-play, 49-yard drive, Baltimore moved the ball to the Bears’ 17-yard line, but after Huntley was tackled short of the line to gain, Justin Tucker booted through a 35-yard field goal to give the Ravens a 3-0 lead.
The Ravens managed to get another field goal late in the first half, scoring with just two seconds to go and putting up a 6-0 halftime lead over the hapless Bears.
Things went from bad-to-worst for Chicago to start the third quarter, as Fields was forced to leave the game with a rib injury after coming up short on a third-down run near midfield.
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After a Ravens punt, Dalton entered the game, and he immediately made a huge impact. After a 23-yard completion to Jimmy Graham, Dalton found Mooney on a screen pass, and the receiver weaved his way through the defense for a 60-yard touchdown reception, giving Chicago a 7-6 lead.
The Bears got the ball back early in the fourth quarter, but a bizarre sequence led to them turning the ball over on downs. After failing to convert on a 3rd-and-short play, the Bears called a timeout after Matt Nagy’s headset apparently went out, and on the ensuing 4th-and-1 play, Montgomery was stopped out of the wildcat formation, giving the Ravens back the ball.
In a remarkable turn of events, the Ravens had an opportunity to put the ball in the red zone, but the Bears’ defense had other ideas. After Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews failed to secure the ball on a rolling catch attempt, Tashaun Gipson came up with an interception, giving the Bears a critical turnover and a new lease on life in the game.
That opportunity was squandered however, as the Bears went three-and-out and Pat O’Donnell’s ensuing punt was partially blocked, giving the Ravens incredible field position.
The Bears’ defense was once again able to stop the Ravens on a key third-down play, stopping Devonta Freeman short of the first down marker, but Tucker knocked through a 46-yard field goal with less than four minutes remaining in the game, giving Baltimore a 9-7 lead.
In what can only be described as a miraculous turn of events, the Bears were facing a 4th-and-6 play with less than two minutes to go, and Jason Peters was flagged for a false start, pushing the Bears five yards further back. On the ensuing play, Dalton found Goodwin for a long touchdown catch, giving Chicago the lead with just 1:41 to play.
The Ravens were not done yet, as Kindle Vildor picked up a pass interference penalty and Rashod Bateman caught a first down pass to move Baltimore quickly into Bears territory.
A holding penalty on third down stopped the Ravens’ momentum, but Huntley found Sammy Watkins for a 30-yard gain, putting Baltimore at the Bears’ 3-yard line with 25 seconds to go in the game.
On the next play, Freeman rolled easily into the end zone, scoring a touchdown to give Baltimore a 16-13 lead.
The Bears had a few more plays to run, but Dalton was sacked on a potential hail mary attempt, sending the Bears to their fifth consecutive loss and a 3-7 record.
If the Bears want to get Fields back, they won’t have much time, as they will take on the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving at Ford Field. Kick-off is scheduled for 11:30 a.m., and the game will air on Fox.
