BALTIMORE — The Ravens apparently didn’t need Lamar Jackson to beat up on the Bears, and lead them 10-6 at halftime at M&T Bank Stadium.
Tyler Huntley, who was named the Ravens’ starter Saturday after the team admitted it put out an incorrect injury report detailing the activity of their two-time MVP quarterback, has looked comfortable against a Bears defense missing two starting cornerbacks. He went 11-for-12 for 110 yards in the first half and ran three times for six yards.
Caleb Williams, his counterpart, has looked anything but comfortable. He was flagged twice for intentional grounding, including on the last drive of the first half that pushed the Bears even farther out of field goal range. Kicker Cairo Santos’ 58-yard field goal as time expired fell short of the cross bar.
Williams went 12-for-17 for 114 yards and an 88.8 passer rating in the first half. The Bears held the ball for all but three plays in the first half but were only able to score six points. They came away with field goals despite having first-and-goal at the Ravens’ 6 on their first possession and first-and-10 at the 22 on their second.
The Bears’ most recent bugaboos continued Sunday. In a two-minute span in the middle of the second quarter, they took an intentional grounding penalty when Williams threw the ball away, setting up fourth-and-23. They then lined up illegally on the ensuing punt, which was downed at the Ravens’ 1. The Bears had to kick it again and booted the ball out of bounds at the Ravens’ 22. The Ravens took over, and the Bears eventually committed pass interference on an incomplete pass on third down, keeping the Ravens’ drive alive. The Ravens’ Tyler Loop finished the drive with a 42-yard field goal.
Ravens running back Derrick Henry’s two-yard touchdown run earlier in the second quarter was the 111th of his career, breaking a tie with Bears legend Walter Payton and moving into sole possession of fifth place in NFL history.