It was a battle of the backups in the Windy City as the Chicago Bears welcomed the Baltimore Ravens to town sans their starting quarterback. Lamar Jackson was a surprise inactive due to an illness and second-year quarterback Tyler Huntley got the start in his place.
Offense was at a premium for both teams for much of the game, but things took a turn when Bears starter Justin Fields left the game with a rib injury. Andy Dalton took over and promptly gave the Bears the lead with a touchdown pass to Darnell Mooney.
After a late Ravens field goal, the game came down to the final two minutes. Dalton found Marquise Goodwin behind the defense for the go-ahead touchdown with under two minutes left, but the Ravens were able to mount their own scoring drive to take back the lead and shock the fans in attendance with a victory.
The game itself was a gut punch, though there were standout players that kept the Bears in this for as long as they were. Here are this week’s studs and duds from Sunday’s loss.
STUD: OLB Robert Quinn
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If you thought we had already seen the best of Robert Quinn this season, think again. The veteran edge rusher had 3.5 sacks on the day, five total tackles, three for loss, four QB hits and a forced fumble. In a word, Quinn was unstoppable.
The Bears had six sacks on a day they were missing both Khalil Mack and Akeim Hicks on the defensive line. Quinn was the best of the bunch and he abused Ravens left tackle Alejandro Villanueva all day long. He’s playing at Pro Bowl level right now and shows no signs of slowing down.
DUD: HC Matt Nagy
AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
Where to start? It’s the same old story for Matt Nagy but this time all of his faults were on display in one, beautifully wrapped package of a game. His offense showed little signs of working, his team couldn’t get the pre-snap details right, was unable to figure out when to go for a two-point conversion, and surrendered a late lead for the second week in a row.
Nagy did lose Fields early in the second half due to his rib injury, but things weren’t working then either. It was a microcosm of his entire Bears career and it’s yet another piece of evidence in the case against him as head coach.
STUD: OLB Trevis Gipson
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Like Quinn, Trevis Gipson stepped up when he was called upon in the absences of Mack and Hicks. Gipson took down Huntley once and had five total tackles on the day, including two for a loss. He was a key factor in the Bears defense limiting the Ravens offense to just 16 points, albeit with a backup quarterback.
Gipson had been relatively quiet over the last few weeks, but with players down, he delivered when he absolutely needed to. He should continue to see more and more snaps with Mack out for the season, giving him a prime opportunity to develop.
DUD: CB Kindle Vildor
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Perhaps Kindle Vildor should give pass rusher a try since that’s the only spot he seemed to have success at during this game. Vildor was called for two key defensive pass interference calls, the latter of which led to the game-winning touchdown which would have been an interception by Deon Bush. Vildor was beat on both plays and resorted to penalties to try and slow the receivers down.
The second-year cornerback did come up with a sack on a corner blitz, but that was his lone highlight on the day. It’s been a disastrous season for Vildor as the starting cornerback and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better.
STUD: ILB Roquan Smith
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When someone tallies 17(!) total tackles in one game, you have to give them their due. Roquan Smith was all over the field on Sunday and wasn’t letting anything get through him. He was seemingly involved in every play, taking down ball carriers all day long. The 17 tackles were a career-best for him in his quest for his first Pro Bowl appearance.
Smith’s day wasn’t perfect as he missed a few plays, particularly in the run game, but he was still sensational and stepped up as the unquestioned leader on the defense.
DUD: RB David Montgomery
AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast
The last time David Montgomery played at Soldier Field, he was running wild against the Detroit Lions before he suffered a knee injury. This time? He wasn’t nearly as involved as he should have been. Montgomery carried the ball 14 times for 58 yards. He had just one catch for nine yards in the passing game.
In a game that was close all day long, Nagy abandoned the run and didn’t utilize Montgomery enough, especially in the second half. He was a nonfactor in a close game.
STUD: WR Darnell Mooney
AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
Darnell Mooney has essentially taken over as the WR1 for the Bears, but it was in full effect during Sunday’s game. Mooney had his second 100-yard game of the season, catching five passes on a whopping 16 targets for 121 yards and a score. His touchdown came on a 60-yard pass that he took to the house from Andy Dalton.
Mooney was vital for the Bears passing attack and though his timing was off at times with Andy Dalton in the second half, he still had himself a solid game and continues to ascend with this team.
