Bears prove road mettle by overtaking Ravens

by Chris Bearman

Blogger, Chicago Tribune

Coach Bob Winuvas is proving to be quite a defensive wizard in his current role as the Chicago Bears' head coach. With a less than stellar roster on defense, he has schemed his way to a 4-2 record (one simulated loss) with a varied scheme of man, zone, and blitzes. This Sunday, he needed all his skills as an equally talented Ravens' defense held his offense at bay, and the Bears won a hard fought 17-7 game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

The game started rather slowly for the Bears' defense, though, as the Ravens' first drive marched well down the field, finishing out with a 14 yard pass from James Lucas to tight end Crockett Gilmore to take a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

Chicago's offense also had a time getting going at the start, as early in the second quarter, Andy Dalton would throw a pass that was intercepted by a very instinctual play from linebacker Akeem Dent. The Bears' defense, as it has done most of the year with Coach Winuvas at the helm, held firm and forced the Ravens to punt.

Late in the second quarter, Reynaldo Ball would break a huge 21 yard run to get the team closer to the end zone. Andy Dalton would find Kevin White two plays later from 31 yards out, and with just over 2 minutes to play, the game would be tied.

A short Ravens' series would give Andy Dalton and the offense another chance, and they would get within field goal range for Marquette King. The 31 yard field goal would end the half with the Bears up 10-7.

The Ravens' defense would stall the Bears' offense going into the third quarter, and the Ravens' offense would make adjustments and make a good offensive push into the red zone. However, on a scramble by James Lucas, he would get hit and lose the ball, which would be pounced on by Bears' linebacker Jon Bostic.

The Bears' offense would then grind their way down the field, scoring with just over 7 minutes in the 4th quarter when Reynaldo Ball would drive in from 3 yards out after breaking 2 tackles.

"Hardest three yards he earned all game," Coach Winuvas said of the touchdown play.

The Ravens would exchange punts with the Bears, then make one last push. The two minute warning would end the Ravens' hopes, however, as James Lucas would find Kyle Wilson, a Bears' cornerback, for his final pass of the day and the first interception thrown by the Ravens.

For the Bears, Andy Dalton was not as good as he has been in previous weeks, going 14 of 23 for 176 yards and a touchdown to go with a pick. Reynaldo Ball got his first 100 yard game of the season, gaining 104 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown. Kevin White led all receivers with 5 receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, cornerback Patrick Robinson led the team in tackles with 4, while Pernell McPhee, Jason DiManche, and Brooks Reed has sacks on the day (1 each), linebacker/defensive end Derrick Morgan had a forced fumble, and Kyle Wilson had a cornerback.

For the Ravens, James Lucas had a game he'd like to not see on the film this week, going 11 of 20 for only 93 yards and a touchdown plus an interception. The run game was not a huge help, as normally effective Lorenzo Taliaferro had 12 carries for only 32 yards. Tight end Crockett Gilmore had 3 receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown to lead the receiving corps. Defensively, linebacker Akeem Dent had a beast game in a losing effort, getting 3 tackles, a sack, and an interception in a losing effort. Elvis Dumervil had a sack as well, and Arthur Brown had 4 tackles to lead the team in tackles.

"We just executed our gameplan better than the Ravens did," Coach Winuvas said after the game. "We game out of the gate sluggish, and that didn't help, but I was proud of our guys for not letting the slow start dictate how we finished. Another true team victory here - I can't say enough about these guys and how they are playing together right now."

At 6-7, the Bears begin their final push through the NFC North, going to Green Bay to take on the Packers. The Ravens (4-9) travel to Detroit to take on the Lions.

"We had to beat the Ravens this week. Next week we'll be their biggest fans," Coach Winuvas said of the schedule.

Can Coach Winuvas keep the winning ways going? And if he does, can he do what would have been thought impossible - make the playoffs with a team decimated by poor GM decisions? Or will the ol' ball coach lose the magic late and falter?