AFC North-leading Ravens look to bounce back against Bears

Updated Nov. 18, 2021 1:13 p.m. ET

Associated Press

BALTIMORE (6-3) at CHICAGO (3-6)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS

BETTING LINE: Ravens by 5, according to

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Baltimore 3-6, Chicago 4-5.

SERIES RECORD: Chicago leads 4-2.

LAST MEETING: Bears beat Ravens 27-24, OT, on Oct. 15, 2017, in Baltimore

LAST WEEK: Ravens lost at Miami 22-10; Bears had bye, lost at Pittsburgh 29-27 on Nov. 8.

RAVENS OFFENSE: OVERALL (2), RUSH (1), PASS (10), SCORING (11t).

RAVENS DEFENSE: OVERALL (24), RUSH (4), PASS (32), SCORING (20t).

BEARS OFFENSE: OVERALL (31), RUSH (5), PASS (32), SCORING (29t).

BEARS DEFENSE: OVERALL (12t), RUSH (23t), PASS (10), SCORING (23).

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Ravens minus-5; Bears minus-4.

RAVENS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Rashod Bateman. The rookie started his season late because of injury problems, but he has 18 catches in four games, including a career-high six last week.

BEARS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Justin Fields. The No. 11 overall draft pick had his best game against Pittsburgh, throwing for a career-high 291 yards and helping Chicago grab the lead in the closing minutes after trailing by 14 through three quarters. He completed six passes of 20 yards or more.

KEY MATCHUP: Ravens QB Lamar Jackson against Bears LB Roquan Smith. With his ability to beat teams with his arm and legs, Jackson poses a huge challenge. And Smith, the Bears' best open-field tackler, figures to play a big role in containing him. Jackson was sacked four times last week and held to 39 yards rushing with Miami blitzing.

KEY INJURIES: RB Latavius Murray is working his way back from an ankle injury and hasn’t played since Oct. 17. … Jackson and C Bradley Bozeman missed practice time this week because they were ill. … OL Patrick Mekari (ankle) and DT Brandon Williams (shoulder) missed the past two games. … Baltimore lost RBs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards to knee injuries before the season. ... Bears star LB Khalil Mack (foot) has missed the past two games, and S Eddie Jackson (hamstring) did not play against Pittsburgh. ... DT Akiem Hicks (ankle), WR Allen Robinson (hamstring), LB Danny Trevathan (knee) and OL Elijah Wilkinson (back) missed practice time this week. ... Chicago has started the three-week window for rookie OT Teven Jenkins (back) and S Deon Bush (quad) to return from injured reserve.

SERIES NOTES: The Bears have won the past two meetings, both in OT. They're 3-0 against the Ravens at Soldier Field.

STATS AND STUFF: The Ravens hold a narrow lead in the AFC North over Pittsburgh (5-3-1), with Cincinnati (5-4) and Cleveland (5-5) not far behind. ... Baltimore was held under 14 points for the first time in 52 games last week. ... Three of the Ravens' victories came in games they trailed by double digits in the second half. ... The Ravens have won 12 straight games vs. NFC opponents, the NFL’s longest active interconference winning streak. … Jackson has either a rushing or passing TD in 45 straight games, the longest active streak by a QB. … Jackson has 10 career 100-yard rushing games, tied with Michael Vick for the most in the regular season by a QB. … Ravens WR Sammy Watkins needs 36 yards receiving to reach 5,000 for his career. … Baltimore LB Odafe Oweh is third among rookies with four sacks. ... The Bears have lost four straight since a 20-9 victory at Las Vegas on Oct. 10. It's the third straight year they've dropped at least four in a row. ... The Bears are 0-3 after byes under coach Matt Nagy and dropped seven straight following off weeks since a win at Green Bay in 2013, when Aaron Rodgers fractured his left collarbone being sacked by Shea McClellin on the Packers' first series. ... Chicago is tied for seventh in the NFL with 25 sacks, including 6 1/2 by LB Robert Smith and six by Mack. ... The Bears have 926 yards rushing over the past six games. ... Chicago gained a season-high 414 yards on offense against Pittsburgh.

FANTASY TIP: Chicago TE Cole Kmet set season highs with six catches and 87 yards against Pittsburgh. And the second-year pro will be going against a team that has struggled defending tight ends.

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