For the second week in a row, Flacco had two interceptions and a completion percentage in the mid-50s. However, his performance was not as bad as the raw statistics would suggest. His receivers had some crucial drops on on some big throws, and a muffed snap forced Flacco to miss the tight window Torrey Smith had at the back of the end zone that could have won the game, not to mention the adverse effect of the wind on his throws. By no means was it a great day, just not a terrible one.
Grade: C
Ray Rice looked like a three-time Pro Bowler again, not the guy the Ravens found from the mall to wear his jersey for the first nine games of the season. Rice looked as explosive as ever and gained nearly as many yards on the ground in this game as he had in the previous nine combined.
Bernard Pierce, on the other hand, had another subpar game with just 18 yards on ten carries, as it appears he just may not be the guy the organization thought he was after a promising rookie season. Still, the "Rice is done" talk can be put on hold for at least a week in Baltimore after the team's best day on the ground all season.
Grade: B+
On a day when the quarterback desperately needed his receivers to help him out, Tandon Doss had two crucial third-down drops to end drives for the Ravens. Torrey Smith stepped up as a possession receiver with five catches and caught Flacco's lone touchdown pass, while Dallas Clark made a nifty one-handed snag. The weather indicated there was not going to be a lot of production in the passing game, but the drops might have cost the Ravens this game.
Grade: C
It might have taken the a poor rush defense to do it, but the Ravens finally generated some production in the running game as the line paved the way for Rice's first 100-yard game of the season. The pass blocking was better as well, though new addition Eugene Monroe joined a long list of linemen to be abused by Julius Peppers, who accounted for two of Chicago's three sacks.
Grade: B-
Terrell Suggs' blistering pace to the season has slowed as he was held without a sack for the second straight game. Breakout acquisition Daryl Smith was relatively quiet in this one as well, and in all the linebackers had their least disruptive game of the year. This unit was also the biggest culprit in Forte's tackle-breaking touchdown run.
Grade: C-
The defensive backs did a standout job of containing the Bears' trio of 6-foot-3 receivers, as only Alshon Jeffery did anything to write home about. However, it's tough to tell how much of that was due to the tight coverage or the windy conditions. Jeffery likely would have turned a big gain in the middle of the field into a long touchdown had he not slipped in the soggy turf coming out of his break.
Though the unit did not get burned they did not create any turnovers against the Bears' backup quarterback, either.
Grade: B-
John Harbaugh again made a costly, over-aggressive call late in the first half that led to Bears field goal. It's easy to play the "what-if" game, but when you lose a tight game questionable calls that don't go your way are going to be magnified. Special teams Coordinator Jerry Rosburg's unit executed well, only giving Hester two returns out of seven opportunities.
Grade: B-
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