Chicago Bears @ Baltimore Ravens
Final Score: Ravens 30, Bears 16
Writer: Raymi Chavez
A battle of two teams going opposite directions as the Bears looked to extend their four-game winning streak and the Ravens looked to end their four-game losing streak. The Bears came out flying, marching down the field with two long, well-executed drives that would both stall out in the red zone. The Ravens ran only three plays in the first quarter and yet found themselves down only six points. The script flipped in the second quarter as Tyler Huntley and Zay Flowers‘ connection started to shine. The Ravens put together two long drives of their own, capitalizing in the red zone once with a Derrick Henry touchdown run. The Ravens’ momentum continued into the second half as the offense clicked, moving the ball into the red zone twice in the third quarter, both ending in field goals. The Bears attempted a comeback in the fourth, but their defense was butter and the Ravens were the hot knife. In the end, both streaks came to a halt, and the Ravens kept their season alive.
Two Up
- Derrick Henry — Henry’s yards per carry weren’t incredible, but finding the end zone twice was big for him and fantasy owners.
- Rome Odunze — Odunze is firmly the WR1 in this offense and continues to show that.
One Down
- Caleb Williams — Still struggling to string together any form of consistency, that’s now back-to-back games with no touchdowns and an interception.
Chicago Bears
Quarterback
Caleb Williams: 25/38, 285 Yards, INT | 3 Carries, 24 Yards
The box score isn’t awful, and he did have a handful of solid drives, but he also had a handful of crucial mistakes, including two intentional grounding penalties, one that forced them to use a timeout and move out of field goal range at the end of the first half. His interception was undercut on a route across the middle to Rome Odunze, throwing out of his own end zone in the fourth quarter. It isn’t easy to trust him from week to week, and you’d hope to see some more progression than this coming off a bye week.
Running Back
D’Andre Swift: 11 Carries, 45 Yards, TD | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 26 Yards
D’Andre Swift didn’t get many opportunities, but was effective when he did. Two of the Bears’ best drives were anchored by Swift’s rush attempts before a screen took them into the red zone. There was a nearly perfect 50-50 split of snaps, with Swift leading the way with 31 snaps. The room turning into a shared backfield isn’t encouraging for Swift, but he has been productive and still seems to be the 1A.
Kyle Monangai: 7 Carries, 24 Yards
Swift has found himself banged up the last few weeks, and it’s allowed Kyle Monangai to creep into the fold, and Sunday was the current high-water mark as he split the snap share with Swift, tallying 29 snaps to Swift’s 31. He wasn’t incredibly effective —most of his yards came on one 15-yard run —but he was given some opportunities. Still a 1B to Swift’s 1A, Monangai’s emergence will make it difficult for either running back to produce consistently.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Rome Odunze: 10 Targets, 7 Receptions, 114 Yards
The breakout year continues for Rome Odunze, as his status as the team’s WR1 is no longer in question. He made big play after big play, even lunging for some extra yards to get first downs at crucial moments. Recent standout rookie receivers having electric rookie years have led people to count out young receivers who don’t produce in Year 1. Rome is a good reminder that some players need time to round out before they fully explode. Rome should be starting week in and week out.
DJ Moore: 7 Targets, 4 Receptions, 73 Yards | 2 Carries, 3 Yards
If not for an incredible one-handed 42-yard reception at the end of the fourth quarter, DJ Moore would have finished with an absolutely dreadful line. Rome has usurped Moore as the team’s No. 1 option, and I am not totally sure that he is fitting in very snug as the WR2.
Colston Loveland: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 38 Yards
With Cole Kmet out due to injury, Loveland saw a massive uptick in usage, running 32 routes on 51 snaps. He had a couple of good receptions on their first two drives, but was unable to make much happen afterwards.
Olamide Zaccheaus: 7 Targets, 7 Receptions, 33 Yards
Caleb loved finding Olamide Zaccheaus on short-yardage plays, and he was very reliable, making catch after catch. Zaccheaus could have value in real deep leagues.
Devin Duvernay: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 2 Yards
Luther Burden III: 1 Target, 1 Reception, -1 Yards
Baltimore Ravens
Quarterback
Tyler Huntley: 17/22, 186 Yards, TD | 8 Carries, 53 Yards
I haven’t watched a ton of Tyler Huntley games, but this is the best I have seen him play. He executed very well, kept drives alive with his legs, even doing his best Lamar Jackson impersonation with a 29-yard run up the middle to set the Ravens up in the red zone. He did well not to make the big mistake. This was his first start, and the Ravens hope it will be his last. Jackson is expected to be back on Thursday night, and he showed that if they do need to go to a backup quarterback, it won’t be Cooper Rush anymore.
Running Back
Derrick Henry: 21 Carries, 71 Yards, 2 TDs | 1 Target
King Henry once again struggled, averaging just over 3 yards per carry, but he found the end zone two times to save the week for himself, the Ravens and fantasy owners everywhere. He saw 36 of the 62 snaps. The hope is that, with Jackson’s return, Derrick Henry will be productive again.
Keaton Mitchell: 4 Carries, 43 Yards
Keaton Mitchell was electric. He only got seven snaps, but he took full advantage of his carries, bouncing to the outside for impact chunk run plays, salting the game away. If I am a Henry owner, seeing Mitchell have this kind of success can only worry me.
Justice Hill: 1 Carry, 2 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Zay Flowers: 9 Targets, 7 Receptions, 63 Yards | 1 Rush, 8 Yards
Zay Flowers has been incredibly consistent, even without consistent quarterback play. While they haven’t been big days, it has been an excellent floor that showcases his ability as a true WR1 and is encouraging given Jackson’s return (hopefully).
Mark Andrews: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 24 Yards
Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely split snaps and routes, but it was Andrews who was far more noticeable and impactful, even making big plays for Huntley as he scrambled to buy some time. An underwhelming performance on National Tight Ends Day, regardless.
Rashod Bateman: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 51 Yards
Rashod Bateman made a great catch, getting his hands under the ball to bail out Huntley from a bad pass. Bateman has struggled to have an impact in fantasy, and this week was no different. Easily the No. 2 receiver in this offense, but it’s not a great passing offense, so that hasn’t led to much.
Isaiah Likely: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 8 Yards
Isaiah Likely had the same opportunity as Andrews to make an impact and failed to do so. I completely missed him this entire game, didn’t realize he was playing. Likely has struggled to find any consistency since his magical Week 1 against the Chiefs last season —a whole lot of unfulfilled potential.
DeAndre Hopkins: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 14 Yards
Charlie Kolar: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 10 Yards, TD
Tylan Wallace: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 6 Yards