Bears’ week before key Ravens matchup gets off to an ideal start with news that would make Dennis Allen’s defense even happier
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson did not practice on Monday.
The Chicago Bears’ defense is riding high after a strong outing in Week 7 against the New Orleans Saints, a game in which defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s unit dominated against his former team.
With the win, the Bears improved to 4-2 and have won four consecutive games after starting the season 0-2. Even though every win matters in the NFL, people have begun questioning the strength of schedule the Bears have faced the last four games and if the sustained success will continue against some tougher matchups.
The Bears had a chance to answer that question in Week 8 against the Baltimore Ravens, a team much better than a 1-5 record suggests coming out of a bye week. Any given Sunday, the Ravens can be a dangerous team to go up against, but that’s saying quarterback Lamar Jackson is playing, which will be a major storyline to follow this week.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson did not practice on Monday coming out of the bye week
When the Ravens returned to the practice field on Monday, reporters noted the team’s dynamic quarterback was still sidelined due to a hamstring injury. A concerning sight for Baltimore and a good news for the Bears’ defense to start the week.
Jackson suffered the injury in the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on September 28th and has been forced to miss each of the team’s last two games with veteran Cooper Rush starting in his place. Baltimore went 0-2 in those two matchups and was outscored 61-13.
Jackson’s status throughout the week will easily be something to watch before Sunday’s game when the Bears head to Baltimore.
In the meantime, Chicago’s defense has been playing it’s best football as of late, recording 15 takeaways over a four game span, including four takeaways on Sunday against the Saints.
“They come in bunches, and these guys — we’ve got a method in place of how we want to practice it,” head coach Ben Johnson said. “Dennis does a great job instilling that confidence in those guys, putting them in the right spot. When the ball touches their hands, they’re coming down with it. We really don’t have many drops on that side of the ball. They’re very conscious of it, when it’s a running play, to try to punch that ball and get it out. It’s just really working for us, and our team needs it. It’s really been the foundation of this last four-game stretch.”
On the Ravens side of things, Rush turned the ball over five times (four interceptions and one fumble lost) over his last two starts. In four games with Jackson as the starter, the Ravens had two total turnovers from the starting quarterback.
So, put aside how dangerous of a player Jackson is. If he’s off the field on Sunday, the Bears will have a clear advantage defensively going into this game.
Chicago Bears News
Ben Johnson finally made a change fans wanted and it sparked a more dynamic run game in Week 7 with exciting results
Kyle Monangai’s breakout in Week 7 is finally giving Ben Johnson his ideal 2RB offense.
