Mistake-prone Bears fritter away 4-game win streak in 30-16 loss to Ravens

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Chicago Bears' four-game winning streak is over, mainly because of their inability to tap into their usual formula for success against the Baltimore Ravens.

Chicago put together its longest victory run since 2018 by forcing turnovers, running effectively and playing solid defense in the fourth quarter. None of that happened on Sunday.

Throw in an inordinate amount of penalties — several of the pre-snap variety — and it's no wonder the Bears' exhilarating winning streak ended with a 30-16 defeat.

Chicago came in with an NFL-best plus-11 turnover differential and had forced at least three turnovers in each of the previous four weeks. Against Baltimore, the game's lone giveaway was when the Bears' Caleb Williams was picked off in the fourth quarter with Chicago trailing 16-13.

The Ravens cashed in on the mistake with a touchdown for a 10-point cushion with 8:13 remaining.

“It’s our first game all season in which we didn’t have a takeaway," Bears coach Ben Johnson said. "When that happens, you’ve really got to play a clean game — and we didn’t.”

Chicago (4-3) was called for 11 penalties for 79 yards. Williams was twice cited for intentional grounding, guard Joe Thuney jumped offside with the Bears on their own 4 yard-line, and a superb punt by Tory Taylor that pinned the Ravens on their own 2 was nullified by an illegal formation.

Chicago also failed to get touchdowns on two of its three trips inside the Baltimore 20. That shortcoming was magnified by four failed plays in the closing minutes from inside the 5.

“We were double-digits in penalties, we’re not scoring in the red zone and we couldn’t quite get off the field as often as we like on defense,” Johnson lamented.

D'Andre Swift ran for more than 100 yards in his two previous games (wins over Washington and New Orleans), but against the Ravens, he rushed for only 45 yards on 11 carries. The Bears were limited to only 96 yards on the ground, 22 of them on a scramble by Williams.

Forced to throw more than he would prefer, Williams went 25 for 38 for 285 yards. But his interception was a huge factor, as was his inability to take Chicago into the end zone instead of settling for field goals.

Still, the penalties were really the main issue. Every time the Bears started to move the ball, a penalty or two impeded their progress.

“Penalties and not being able to score in the red zone, that’s the two main things we have to fix," Williams said. “We have to figure it out, find a solution, because it’s hurting us as an offense.”

Johnson insisted that the coaching staff has tried nearly everything to stop the Bears to stop beating themselves. Now it's up to the players to hammer home the point.

“The penalties are what stands out first and foremost. We still have some pre-snap issues. That stuff adds up and it hurts us,” Johnson said. “I really put it on the leaders in the locker room to get this ship going in the right direction in that regard.”

The Bears knew the Ravens were desperate for a win after starting the season 1-5. Yet, even though Baltimore was without standout quarterback Lamar Jackson, the Ravens' maligned defense made up the difference.

"(The Ravens) came out and played a physical brand of football, just like you would expect. They were hungry, they were determined,” Johnson said. “Truth be told, I expected a little bit more out of our squad to counter that.”

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL