The Ravens have finally won their second game of the season, and this will hopefully be a catalyst to help them get back on track. The Ravens’ thrilling win over the Chicago Bears was not without mistakes. Let’s talk about it.

Tyler Huntley : What an amazing performance. Huntley did all he could to keep the Ravens season on track. He was 17/22 (77%), 186 yards and a touchdown. Most importantly, he did not make any mistakes, even though he made a few. He ran for 53 yard on eight attempts and extended drives, getting into Bears’ territory several times. He kept the Ravens competitive throughout the entire game and earned the right to be the Ravens’ permanent backup over Cooper Rush.

Derrick Henry The Ravens have once again made a concerted effort to get Henry moving. He carried the ball 21 time on Sunday. His total was only 71 yard but he scored two touchdowns. Henry’s average per-carry yards was lower than expected, but there were also multiple bursts of eight to ten yard. We’ll hopefully see Lamar Jackson return to his explosive running style.

Zay Flower: Although the Ravens relied on the run game, with Huntley at center, they weren’t afraid to attack the Bears secondary that was missing its top three cornerbacks. Flowers led the charge, catching six targets in the first quarter for 57 yard. He attracted more attention as the game progressed, which created space for his teammates on the field. Flowers finished the day with 71 yard after two additional touches.

Keaton Mitchell After winning the game, John Harbaugh stated that he had put a lot of emphasis on getting Mitchell to participate in the offensive. It showed today. He ran for 43 yards including a 25-yard run and had two great kick returns. Why was it so long before Mitchell could be on the field? I don’t really know but I do hope that it continues.

DeAndre Hoskins: Nuk’s impact plays continue to be impressive. It’s not like he plays a lot of snaps but it does matter when he gets targeted. Today is a good example. With less than four minutes left, the Ravens were trying to win the game. Huntley went to Hopkins on the outside in a 1-1 matchup. The veteran wideout used physicality to separate and make a catch to extend drive.

Nate Wiggins Wiggins was a mixed bag in Week 6, following Davante Adam. He lined up consistently with Rome Odunze this week. Wiggins was targeted by the Bears early in the game. But the second-year cornerback stayed calm and made multiple tackles near the line of scrimmage. He also delivered the arguably biggest play of this game in the final quarter. Wiggins’ closing speed allowed him to cut off a pass to Odunze, allowing the Ravens to move their offense inside the Bears 10-yard line. Baltimore turned the turnover into an offensive touchdown, which extended their lead and gave them control of the match.

Roquan Smith Smith returned to his former form after a hamstring injury. He led the team in tackles with 12, often stopping plays quickly to limit yards gained after contact/the grab. Smith did not make any big plays. It was more like a “lunch pail” day, which is what we expect from him every week. He will need to keep up that level moving forward. A return to his All-Pro status would be even better for his team.

Mike Green : After a long wait, Green is here. The rookie edge rusher recorded his first career sack and it was big. Green surged to the backfield on a 3rd and 5 in the red area, where he cut down Caleb Williams. This forced the Bears to attempt a field-goal. Green looked like a professional on the field, and not just because of the stat. Green won the sack with a clean cross-cut, but also did well in other areas, such as a bull rush and his containment assignments. Check out the rookie report to get a detailed breakdown. But hopefully, this is just the beginning of Green’s breakout after the bye week.

Pressure schemes: Aside from Green’s quick victory, the best pass rush was achieved with blitzes. Although the Ravens had only one sack, they forced many incompletions as well as intentional grounding penalties. The blitzes worked, and several guys were able to get free lanes for rushing up the middle. Zach Orr must continue this until the Ravens find a four-man rush.

Special Team:Aside from allowing a kick return that was too long, the special team units had an excellent day. Jordan Stout, Tylan Wallace and Wiggins intercepted the punt by the four. Tyler Loop was perfect on all six kickoffs and kicked off the ball without error. Keaton Mitchel and Rasheen Al both had long kick-returns. They answered the call on a day where they needed to make an impact with Jackson out.

Coaching staff: Much has been said this season about the Ravens coaches, and most of it is justified. Bye week fueled more conversation. Fans have repeatedly called for the firing of both John Harbaugh, head coach, and Zach Orr as defensive coordinator. Anonymous sources have been used in multiple articles to criticize Todd Monken. Drama surrounded Lamar Jackson and his practice status over the weekend. The staff devised a brilliant gameplan to win and keep the season alive.

Orr’s Defense played some of the best football it has all season. Monken’s Offense dropped 30 points despite having a backup QB, and Harbaugh held the team together to win. Harbaugh was right to challenge the Marlon Hushprey turnover that should have been. They’ve now got to lock it in for the game in Miami in five days.

Four man rush: Despite all of the effort that was put into blitzes, pressure schemes and a four-man push, the Ravens were unable to get the opposing quarterbacks. It feels more than ever that the Ravens simply do not have the horses to compete with Nnamdi Madubuike’s absence for the season. Mike Green was much improved today, and he grabbed a pass rush sack with a clean move. Carl Lawson, who was added recently, could also be a boost. The Ravens will have to consider making a trade at the deadline if they want to make a real improvement.

Red Zone Play Calling: This team has a problem with converting in red zones, especially when they are in goal-to go situations. On Sunday, the Ravens converted all three of their opportunities to score on the goal line. However, they failed in the red area twice in the third period. The Ravens’ lead was ten points. However, the Bears scored on their next drive to reduce it to three. The game became very tight, and the fans were all too familiar with fourth-quarter collapses. The Ravens scored two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to seal their victory. But if they had reached the end zone during those third-quarter drives, the defense would have been much more comfortable.

Jackson’s return to the field on Thursday and another match with Ricard should fix these issues. Last year the Ravens were the NFL’s top team, scoring touchdowns on 74% red zone opportunities. If they want to continue their magical run after this win, they need to return to those days.