Ravens' Red Zone Defense Steps Up Against Bears

The defense received some shoutouts of their own, with Nate Wiggins' fourth quarter interception sticking out as the most crucial play of the game. But if the game produced any unsung heroes still worth naming, they resided in the Ravens' general red zone defense.

Ravens Defense Finally Shows Signs of Life

Box score watching would suggest that the Ravens' stoppers folded early, as they'd done frequently during the four-game losing streak, but the Bears looked sharp on their first two drives of the game right until they entered the final 20 yards of Baltimore's territory. The home team pulled out some timely tackles and pressures with their backs against the walls, limiting Caleb Williams and co. to a pair of field goals when the score could have spiraled out of their control early.

Rookie edge rusher Mike Green hadn't lived up to the hype through his first half-dozen outings, but finally pinned down his first sack of the season on an early third down to stop Williams in his tracks, springing up from the blind side and bringing the quarterback down by his legs.

Returning star Roquan Smith was also a necessity in this game, shaking off some of his previous injuries and inconsistencies in a rematch against his former team. He appeared in every one of the Ravens' defensive snaps, logging a game-high 11 tackles and recording seven solo takedowns.

The Ravens' 30 points were the most they'd scored since their Week 3 loss to the Detroit Lions, one of several embarrassments they suffered in front of their home crowd. The team's victorious return to touchdown territory was big in keeping the Bears at bay, but their underperforming defense needed to show this sort of life and activity in a bind, and they delivered.