Bears
stun Ravens with overtime field goal
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[October 16, 2017]
BALTIMORE -- Chicago rookie
quarterback Mitchell Trubisky spent much of the afternoon dodging
defenders, bouncing off tacklers and buying himself just enough time
to make several key plays.
One of the biggest contributions was his 18-yard pass to Kendall
Wright with 2:11 left in overtime against Baltimore. That play set
up a 39-yard field goal by Connor Barth, providing the Bears a wild
27-24 victory over the Ravens on Sunday.
"This was a lot of fun," said Trubisky, who absorbed four sacks. "We
were playing in a hostile environment. It's a tough place to play.
We were playing a good team and we won."
Chicago (2-4) snapped a 10-game losing streak on the road. The Bears
also forced three turnovers after managing just three takeaways
during the first five games.
The Ravens (3-3) did not score an offensive touchdown.
Michael Campanaro returned a punt 77 yards to pull the Ravens to
within 24-22 with 1:37 left in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Joe
Flacco converted the 2-point conversion with a pass to tight end
Nick Boyle that sent the game to overtime.
Trubisky did a solid job managing the game and completed 8 of 16
passes for 113 yards with a touchdown. He also picked up 32 yards on
the ground with four carries. Trubisky became just the first rookie
quarterback to win in Baltimore in the John Harbaugh era
"Hard fought, very disappointing," Harbaugh said. "Obviously,
(Chicago) made the plays they needed, especially with the turnovers
and the interceptions. I thought our guys played their hearts out. I
thought our guys played hard. They fought their way back."
With Ravens nose tackle Brandon Williams out for the fourth straight
game, the Ravens struggled against the run again, allowing 231
yards, the most in franchise history. Chicago running back Jordan
Howard ran for a career-high 167 yards, including a vital 53-yard
scamper in overtime, on 36 carries.
Cornerback Bryce Callahan got the Bears' first interception of the
season and returned it 52 yards to the Ravens 20. The Bears
capitalized when running back Tarik Cohen took a handoff from
Trubisky and threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to tight end Zach Miller
for a 10-0 lead with 2:53 left in the second quarter.
Trubisky continued to make plays and extended Chicago's lead to 17-3
with 6:01 left in the third quarter with a 27-yard touchdown pass to
tight end Dion Sims, who got behind safety Tony Jefferson.
"It's all about the hearts of the players," Chicago head coach John
Fox said. "The players, the coaches and everybody, we're all in it
together. You tell them what we have to do to win the game, and it
was evident they did."
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Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky (10) throws prior to the game
against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit:
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
With the offense sputtering, the Ravens' special teams provided a
spark. Bobby Rainey, who was signed by the team Tuesday, returned
the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.
The Bears made another key mistake later when a fumble by Cohen gave
Baltimore the ball at midfield. That led to a field goal that cut
the margin to 17-13.
Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb had a strip-sack on Trubisky that
gave Baltimore the ball on its own 48 with 9:21 remaining. After
Javorius "Buck" Allen converted a fourth-and-1, Chicago safety
Adrian Amos, a Baltimore native, intercepted Flacco and ran 90 yards
for the score and a 24-13 lead.
"Honestly, we had no business being in that game the way we played
as a team," Ravens safety Eric Weddle said. "It's just unfortunate
that we didn't capitalize once we got them off the field in overtime
and I have to make that tackle (on Howard's 53-yard run). That's the
deciding play. That's why we lost."
Flacco struggled throughout the game, but he was not helped by his
receivers who dropped several passes. Flacco was 24 of 41 for 180
yards with two interceptions. He had a 48.8 passer rating.
Baltimore committed eight penalties for 69 yards.
"You have to be able to deal with the ups and downs of a season and
continue to roll through," Flacco said. "It's still early on and
we're a 3-3 football team. It does not feel good. Obviously, losses
are going to affect you in a certain way. We have to keep our heads
down and keep going."
NOTES: Chicago RB Taquan Mizzell, who was waived by the Ravens after
training camp, was inactive. ... Baltimore WR Jeremy Maclin was
inactive because of a shoulder injury. Breshad Perriman got the
start in his place and also had to leave the game with a possible
concussion. ... Bears CB Sherrick McManis injured his hamstring
defending a punt in the first quarter and did not return.
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