The Ravens’ porous run defense surfaced at the worst possible moment — after rallying late from 11 points down — in an OT loss to the lowly Bears.
BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Ravens seemingly had turned a devastating loss to the lowly Chicago Bears into one of the most exciting comebacks in franchise history.
But the Ravens’ porous run defense surfaced at the worst possible moment in Sunday’s 27-24 overtime loss to the Bears that was indeed devastating.
After the Ravens rallied from 11 points down with five minutes left in regulation to force overtime, safety Eric Weddle couldn’t wrap up running back Jordan Howard, who had a 53-yard run that eventually led to the Bears’ winning field goal.
This was the soft spot for the Ravens the entire game. Baltimore gave up 231 yards on the ground, failing to stop the Bears when it mattered or put pressure on rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
It marked the second time in franchise history that the Ravens lost to a rookie quarterback at home. They also lost to the Arizona Cardinals ‘ Jake Plummer in 1997.
But Baltimore handled Trubisky (8 of 16 for 113 yards). The Ravens just couldn’t slow down the run game.
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Call it the Brandon Williams effect. In two games with the defensive tackle, the Ravens allowed an average of 85 yards. In four games without him, Baltimore has given up nearly double (169.5).
The Ravens can only shake their heads over how they lost at home to a one-win Bears team on a short week. Baltimore struggled with a lack of playmakers on offense, played too sloppily and made too many mistakes.
The loss drops the Ravens to 3-3 and cost them a chance to take sole possession of first place in the AFC North. This is the type of defeat that can haunt a team looking to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
