Baltimore Ravens: Chicago Bears leave blueprint for what NOT to do

After an abysmal TNF showing to open up the 2019 season by the Chicago Bears, the Baltimore Ravens can use this tape as an example of what not to do.

The 2019 NFL regular season kicked off with what many consider to be the best rivalry in NFL history: the Green Bay Packers vs. the Chicago Bears. This was a highly anticipated game for many reasons, but for the Baltimore Ravens it was important because of how similar they compare to the Bears. Well, based off what we saw Baltimore should have a good idea of what NOT to do now…

Chicago wound up losing to Green Bay 10-3. The Bears failed to score a touchdown and quarterback Mitch Trubisky committed an awful turnover in the red-zone when the team needed him most. Chicago’s defense was everything advertised last season, but they can only do so much. I mean, they held Aaron Rodgers and co. to 10 points! C’mon, offense!

This is somewhat worrisome, considering that the Bears and the Ravens are very similar to each other in many ways… for one, both teams have mobile quarterbacks who are far from proven commodities. From there, each team contains a ridiculously talented backfield, solid weapons in the passing game, an underrated offensive line, and a fantastic defense. The one thing Baltimore has that Chicago doesn’t is special teams aces. Sorry, Bears fans.

So ,based off this game what should the Ravens have learned? For starters, don’t  be stingy with your running backs! After a long off-season’s worth of hype, rookie running back David Montgomery received seven total touches (six carries, one reception). This is unacceptable when you consider how talented he is.

Worse yet, Chicago acted as if they were married to Mike Davis and gave him the bulk amount of touches. Davis is fine, but he must be their third back in terms of touches and priority behind Montgomery and Tarik Cohen.

The quarterbacking play was abysmal. Outside of Allen Robinson’s inspiring performance, nothing was saving Mitch Trubisky from himself. His passes were errant and he never looked comfortable. While the Packers pass rush was relentless, Trubisky looked lost. To his credit, the play-calling was horrendous and did nothing to help their quarterback out…

The bright spots were few and far between, with it mainly being focused on the team’s defense. Eddie Pineiro nailed the team’s only field goal attempt and Pat O’Donnell was fantastic in the punting game. And… well, that’s about it.

As far as what the Baltimore Ravens can take from this, here’s the important lessons learned:

• Lean on the run-game
• Make your quarterback comfortable by taking pressure off him
• Don’t squander good field position
• Use your running backs to their respective strengths

Short, sweet, and to the point. Still, the Ravens can often be their own worst enemy and out-coach themselves easily. To avoid this, Baltimore must learn from the Chicago Bears missteps to open the season. The worst thing the Ravens can do is place all the pressure on their young quarterback, even when the game is within a single possession for all 60 minutes. Hopefully Baltimore paid close attention to this game, making it an unnecessary slip up for the Ravens in 2019.