Bears Film Study tackles red-zone woes vs. Ravens

Sometimes the easy explanation is the more desperate team won.

The Ravens were trying to salvage their season after a 1-5 start, knowing quarterback Lamar Jackson was expected to return from a hamstring injury Thursday.

Still, there was that first quarter Sunday when the Bears outgained Baltimore roughly 115-8 and led just 6-0. So the red zone offense is a good place to start with this week's Film Study.

The Bears began with a nice, scripted drive, as is the expectation with coach Ben Johnson. They had first-and-goal at the 6-yard line but ended up having to settle for a field goal.

The play that stands out, maybe the day's biggest head-scratcher, happened on second-and-3 at the 10. Caleb Williams ran a bootleg left and had a nice clear view of Luther Burden running with him in the end zone, a step or two ahead of the defender. It could have been an easy touchdown with an accurate pass, but Williams never threw it.

Maybe the second-year QB thought he could run it in, but there was another great opportunity when Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton left tight end Colston Loveland to play the run. Williams was still behind the line of scrimmage when Hamilton made the shift, so Loveland was completely unguarded for an easy touchdown if Williams had found a way to float the ball over Hamilton's head. Williams decided to keep it and ended up with a 2-yard run.

Is it possible Williams' comfort zone is rolling to his right? After Loveland was flagged for a false start, Williams made a nice throw to a well-defended Rome Odunze while running right, and he picked up the first down. At this point Williams should be able to execute in both directions.

Two runs gained 1 yard, then on third-and-goal at the 5, Baltimore did a nice job of covering the outside receivers. Running back Kyle Monangai stayed in to block, then leaked out of the backfield and no one picked him up, so that could have been an easy TD.

Unfortunately, just as Monangai was moving into clear space, left tackle Theo Benedet was getting beat by Mike Green and sacked Williams for a loss of 9.

The second Bears drive reached only the 22-yard line. When the Bears tried to run another bootleg on second down, the Ravens were ready for it and Williams had to throw the ball away. On third-and-7 there was good pressure and good coverage. Williams might have thrown it a little quick, but Odunze could also have provided a better target over the middle.

Anyway, that's how the Bears ended up with a 6-0 lead, which eventually became a 16-6 deficit by the third quarter.

Moving mountains

The Bears had their moments in the run game but faced a massive problem. Baltimore nose guard Travis Jones (No. 98) was just a beast. The Bears had trouble moving him, and there were times the double-team blocks weren't effective enough to allow one blocker to climb to linebacker Roquan Smith.

On the opening drive Jones blew up two run plays in a row once the Bears got to first-and-goal. On the second one he lined up between Drew Dalman and Joe Thuney, and neither touched him. Jones was in the backfield, forcing Monangai to make a drastic cut into traffic and lose 2 yards.

Two-time former Bear John Jenkins also had some good moments on the Ravens' defensive front, but Jones is for sure making the 2025 all-opponent team.

Defensive doldrums

Losing nickel Kyler Gordon and corner Tyrique Stevenson to the injured list was clearly bad news last week, and it showed up on Sunday. The Bears played soft coverage and Baltimore backup QB Tyler Huntley has been around long enough to take full advantage.

On the opening play of the third quarter, the Bears tried playing tighter on the receivers and the Ravens threw deep, with Rashod Bateman putting backup nickel Nick McCloud in the deep sand for a relatively easy 36-yard gain.

That said, the Bears defense was one uncalled facemask penalty on DeAndre Hopkins from having a chance to tie the game late. Also, Derrick Henry is still good.

Quick hitters

The Bears brought out Ozzy Trapilo as a sixth offensive lineman for seven plays on Sunday, mostly early in the game. Trapilo did make an appearance in the third quarter and the Bears tried to throw a tunnel screen to Burden, but it was blown up for a loss. …

Not much to say about Williams' late-game interception over the middle that essentially sealed the loss. As mentioned last week, Williams is best when he's decisive and makes quick throws. When he waits in the pocket, wondering what to do, the success rate drops by the millisecond. The fourth-quarter pick was thrown probably two seconds later than it should have been launched.