The Bears will look to rebound from last weekend's loss to the Lions Sunday when they host the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens at Soldier Field.
Having lost four of six since a 3-0 start, the Bears (5-4) are tied for second place in the NFC North with the Packers (5-4), one game behind the division-leading Lions (6-3). Detroit plays in Pittsburgh and Green Bay visits the Giants Sunday.
Quarterback Josh McCown will make his second start in three weeks in place of Jay Cutler, who sustained a high ankle sprain against the Lions.
McCown has appeared in each of the Bears' last three games, completing 42 of 70 passes for 538 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. His 103.2 passer rating ranks eighth in the NFL among quarterbacks with at least 50 passing attempts.
The Bears need to get more out of their running game after mustering only 38 yards on 20 carries versus the Lions, a 1.9-yard average. Matt Forte was limited to 33 yards on 17 attempts and was stopped on a crucial two-point conversion run that could have sent the game into overtime.
The Bears defense will be forced to overcome the loss of another key player in cornerback Charles Tillman, who was placed on injured reserve with the designation to return after suffering a torn right triceps against the Lions. He will be replaced by veteran Zack Bowman.
The Bears defense has lost five starters to significant injuries this year. Tackles Henry Melton and Nate Collins are out for the season with torn ACLs, linebacker D.J. Williams is on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle and linebacker Lance Briggs remains out indefinitely with a fractured shoulder. Nickel back Kelvin Hayden was lost for the season in training camp with a groin injury.
The Ravens offense has struggled this season. Quarterback Joe Flacco has completed 59.0 percent of his passes for 2,307 yards with 12 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 77.3 passer rating. Running back Ray Rice has rushed for 289 yards on 115 carries, a 2.5-yard average.
The all-time series between the Bears and Ravens is tied 2-2 with the home team winning all four games. The Ravens won the last meeting 31-7 in Baltimore on Dec. 20, 2009 as the Bears committed six turnovers and Flacco threw a career-high four touchdown passes.
In total yards, the Bears offense ranks 10th in the NFL (15th rushing and 8th passing), while the Ravens defense ranks 15th (10th against the run and 18th versus the pass). The Bears defense is 26th overall (31st against the run and 23rd versus the pass, while the Ravens offense is 29th (30th rushing and 17th passing).
