Game Preview: Bears at Ravens | 2025 Week 8

When the Bears have the ball

After rushing for an average of 102.3 yards in their first four games, the Bears have compiled 145 yards and 222 yards on the ground in two contests since their bye week, fueling wins over the Commanders and Saints.

They’re hoping that running back D’Andre Swift—who is listed as questionable for the game with a groin injury that limited him in practice—is able to play. The sixth-year pro rushed for 108 yards against the Commanders and 124 yards versus the Saints and is seeking a third straight 100-yard performance for the first time in his NFL career.

Rookie running back Kyle Monangai rushed for a career-high 81 yards against New Orleans, exactly matching his yardage total from his first five NFL games.

The Bears offense is led by quarterback Caleb Williams, who has thrown for 1,351 yards with nine touchdowns, three interceptions and a 92.9 passer rating that ranks 15th in the NFL. The second-year pro has excelled on third down, posting a 105.8 passer rating that is third best in the league. Williams told reporters that he hopes to be more accurate on throws he makes on the run, which is normally one of his strengths.

The offense is focused on improving its red-zone performance. The unit has scored touchdowns on just 30.8% of its possessions (4 of 13) inside-the-20 in the last three games after being successful at an 85.7% rate (6 of 7) in its first three contests.

The Bears are the only NFL team that has scored at least 21 points in all of their games this season and rank 10th in the league in points per game with 25.3. Baltimore enters Week 8 last in the NFL in points allowed per game with 32.3.

This season the Ravens have generated only three takeaways, tied for the second fewest in the league, and rank 31st with a minus-7 turnover ratio.

Baltimore’s defense is led by middle linebacker Roquan Smith, who spent his first four-and-a-half seasons with the Bears before being traded to the Ravens midway through the 2022 campaign. Sunday’s game will be his first against his former team.

“He is fast; that’s what stands out,” Johnson said. “He diagnoses quickly: see ball, get ball, sideline to sideline. He’s playing at a super high level, and I know they’ll welcome him back on that defense. He’s going to help him out.”

Other key Ravens defenders include linebacker Kyle Van Noy, safety Kyle Hamilton and cornerback Marlon Humphries. The starting unit also includes a pair of former Bears in tackle John Jenkins and end Brent Urban.

“Their record is not indicative of the way this team plays,” said offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. “They still have a number of guys who play at a really high level. The way they play is impressive to watch on film.”

Key matchup: Bears tight end Colston Loveland vs. Ravens middle linebacker Roquan Smith

With veteran tight end Cole Kmet set to miss his first game since joining the Bears in 2020 due to a back injury, Loveland could get more opportunities in the pass game. If the rookie tight end encounters Smith in coverage, it will be an intriguing matchup between two exceptional athletes who were drafted by the Bears with top-10 picks.

When the Ravens have the ball

Baltimore on Saturday announced that star quarterback Lamar Jackson will miss Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury. The two-time NFL MVP was a full participant in practice Friday and was listed as questionable on the injury report. But he was later downgraded to out and will sit out his third straight contest.

In four starts, Jackson has completed 71.6% of his passes for 869 yards with 10 TDs, one interception and a 130.5 passer rating that leads the NFL. The dual threat star has also rushed for 166 yards and one TD on 21 carries.

Quarterback Tyler Huntley was elevated from the practice squad Saturday and will start in place of Jackson. Huntley is in his second stint with the Ravens; he spent his first four NFL seasons in Baltimore from 2020-23 before playing for the Dolphins last year.

Huntley has appeared in 26 NFL games with 14 starts, completing 64.7% of his passes for 2,854 yards with 11 TD passes, 10 interceptions and a 79.2 passer rating. He led the Ravens to a 16-13 win over the Bears Nov. 21, 2021, at Soldier Field, completing 26 of 36 passes for 219 yards with one interception and a 76.0 rating. He was sacked six times and rushed for 40 yards on seven attempts. Jackson missed that contest due to an illness.

Last season Huntley made five starts for the Dolphins, passing for 829 yards with three TDs, three interceptions and an 80.1 rating.

He has started one game this year, connecting on 10 of 15 passes for 68 yards and a 76.5 rating in a 17-3 loss to the Rams Oct. 12 in Baltimore. He was sacked four times in that game and rushed for 39 yards on three attempts.

Ravens running back Derrick Henry, a bruising five-time Pro Bowler, ranks 15th in the NFL in rushing with 439 yards and four TDs on 88 carries.

Asked how to defend Henry—his close friend and Titans teammate from 2016-23, Bears safety Kevin Byard III said: “Don’t go high. I’ve been on that sideline watching that guy stiff arm everybody into the dirt. He’s a future hall of Famer. It’s going to be a challenge.”

“The No. 1 coaching point is, ‘how many hats can we get around the ball,'” said defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. “If we’re expecting one guy to get the ball on the ground all the time, that’s a tough proposition when you’re talking about this guy. You’ve got to be able to hit him, you’ve got to be able to wrap up. Essentially, you’ve got to be able to take his pistons away and take his legs away from him, in terms of his ability to drive through contact.”

Allen’s defense enters Week 8 on a roll. The unit leads the league with 16 takeaways, with all but one coming during the team’s current four-game winning streak. The Bears are the first NFL team with three interceptions in three of their first six games in a season since the 2009 Saints and the only club with multiple games with at least four takeaways, a feat they have accomplished three times in their last four contests.

Key matchup: Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright vs. Ravens receiver Zay Flowers

With the Bears thin at cornerback – Kyler Gordon joined Jaylon Johnson on injured reserve Saturday and Tyrique Stevenson won’t play Sunday due to a shoulder injury – Wright no doubt will be counted on to help contain Flowers, who leads the Ravens with 46 receptions for 423 yards and one TD. Wright has excelled in his first season with the Bears, having recorded two interceptions, including one he returned 74 yards for a TD.

Fun facts

• Each of the last three Bears-Ravens games has been decided by three points. The Bears won twice in overtime, 23-20 Nov. 17, 2013, in Chicago and 27-24 Oct. 15, 2017, in Baltimore before dropping a 16-13 decision Nov. 21, 2021, at Soldier Field.

• The Bears have scored points in 12 straight quarters, in all 12 quarters in the first half of their six games and in 22 of 24 quarters overall this season.

• The Bears played the first NFL game at M&T Bank Stadium Aug. 8, 1998, facing the Ravens in a preseason contest. After moving from Cleveland, the Ravens played their first two seasons at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium in 1996-97.

• The Bears are the fourth team since 2019 to register at least 16 takeaways in their first six games. The previous three squads all recorded at least 11 wins that season.