If the Bears’ four-game win streak felt like the start of something, Sunday afternoon in Baltimore was the reality check that reminder teams don’t graduate overnight.
This one wasn’t about being out-talented. It was about missed chances, sloppy execution, and a young quarterback learning — sometimes painfully — how thin the margins are in close games. The Bears had opportunities to put pressure on a Lamar Jackson-less Ravens squad, but instead left M&T Bank Stadium with a 30–16 loss that will stick with them for reasons far beyond the score.
Let’s get right to the moment where everything unraveled. Down 16–13 in the fourth quarter and backed up at their own 4-yard line, Caleb Williams took a shot he doesn’t regret taking — but absolutely regrets how he placed it. He had Rome Odunze flashing across the middle, said he liked the read, and let it rip. But the ball wasn’t outside enough. Ravens corner Nate Wiggins undercut it, picked it at the 18, and Baltimore needed only 47 seconds to punch in a short touchdown drive for a 10-point swing. Game tilted. Belief leaked. And the Bears never recovered.
“It was a good read,” Williams said afterward. “I could have led him farther out in front instead of giving him a shot right here. The DB made a great break. Unfortunate with where we were on the field.”
Head coach Ben Johnson wasn’t as forgiving: “There might have been another option we could have gotten to.”
For what it’s worth, running back Kyle Monangai was coming open in the flat.
Oct 26, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai (25) rushes and is tackled by Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey (44) and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith (0) during the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn ImagesPenalties + Red Zone = Regression
If last week ended with optimism about growth, this one was about how easily progress gets erased when the fundamentals collapse. Williams and Johnson didn’t dance around what’s killing the offense.
“It’s penalties and being able to score in the red zone,” Williams said.
Johnson echoed it — and then some.
“Pre-snap issues. Not getting lined up right. Motions. It adds up. And it’s just not how you win in this league.”
The Bears entered the day with one of the league’s best turnover margins and a recent stretch of efficient scoring. But they went 1-for-3 in the red zone, are now 5-for-16 over their last four games, and the season-long number has dipped under 50%. Add 11 penalties for 79 yards — including two intentional groundings and two false starts — and the offense spent as much time undoing progress as making it.
As D’Andre Swift put it: “We’ve got to come away with six instead of field goals. That comes back to bite us.”
Moments That Become Teachable Tape… Again
The interception will headline the post-mortem, but the Bears left meat on the bone elsewhere:
Before halftime, Williams scrambled into field-goal range, but stayed inbounds instead of getting out to preserve a timeout. Two snaps later, an intentional grounding call compounded the mistake and forced a frantic 58-yard field-goal attempt that fell short.
In the final two minutes, after a 42-yard Williams heave to DJ Moore set the Bears up at the 3, the offense went: misfire to Colston Loveland, completion to Devin Duvernay short of the goal line, stuffed QB sneak, and a wide-open Moore missed high on fourth down. A four-play sequence that summed up Chicago’s entire day: opportunity there, execution not.
Williams took ownership. Johnson pointed the thumb at himself for the QB sneak call. But the theme remains: this offense still makes everything too hard.
Oct 26, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) throws a pass as Baltimore Ravens linebacker Teddye Buchanan (40) defends during the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn ImagesA Strong Start… That Went Nowhere
The Bears outgained Baltimore 125-8 in the first quarter. And led only 6-0. In a league where early body blows matter, Chicago threw jabs where they could have thrown haymakers. That’s the difference between keeping the door open and slamming it shut — and the Ravens, even without Lamar Jackson, weren’t interested in being let off the hook twice.
Big Picture
The Bears were the more talented team on paper on Sunday. They just weren’t the more disciplined one. And if this team is taking the next step — from “fun and promising” to “reliable and threatening” — games like this are the tuition cost.
Ben Johnson put it on the leaders in the locker room to clean it up:
“We’ve been pounding that drum. We haven’t gotten the results. It’s on the leaders here to get us right.”
The lesson is sharp: growth isn’t linear, especially with a young quarterback. But the Bears walked out of Baltimore, reminded that potential only becomes power when execution meets urgency.
They’ll need both next week in Cincinnati.
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