Week 8 Preview: Approaching the Wounded Raven
The Chicago Bears have clawed their way to a four-game win streak. Four straight weeks of balance, resilience, and controlled rage. The city of Chicago hums with belief again, like a tuning fork struck by destiny. Now the Ravens await after their bye week, desperate and dangerous. Lamar Jackson is out (questionable practice reporting btw), but Derrick Henry lurks in the backfield, snorting steam like a freight train full of fumble regret. This is the kind of game that tests your composure, Bears fans. Because a wounded animal does not limp away quietly. It thrashes. It bites. It drags you into the mud. And if anyone knows how to deal with that, it’s me.
🐻 A WOUNDED ANIMAL REMEMBERS
Years ago, deep in the Des Plaines forest, I was just a young bear with a torn hamstring and a broken heart after a double-doink. I was injured, hungry, and limping along the muddy banks of the river, wondering if I’d ever roar again. That’s when I saw it floating toward me like divine intervention. A cooler.Inside? Six cans of Old Style and two half-eaten Gene & Jude’s hot dogs.
I don’t know who left it there, perhaps a benevolent tailgater, perhaps the universe itself, but I took it as a sign. I cracked one open. I ate. I healed. And as the Old Style coursed through my veins, I realized something: wounded animals do not surrender. They recover, they rage, and they return stronger.
That night, I climbed the tallest oak by the Des Plaines and howled “Bear Down” to the stars. The river answered.
⚔️ THIS WEEK’S BATTLE
The Ravens are that wounded creature now. No Lamar means their wings are clipped, but they still have claws. Derrick Henry will try to trample our thinned-out secondary by sheer force of will, and Baltimore will come out swinging like their playoff lives depend on it, because they do.
In a move that perfectly sums up their panic, the Ravens reportedly removed all their ping pong tables from the facility in a desperate attempt to “re-focus.” Imagine being so rattled that you ban recreation. Nothing says “team unity” like eliminating the only joy in your locker room. Meanwhile, what is Baltimore even known for at this point? Crab cakes and “The Wire”? That’s their entire cultural résumé. The city that brought you gritty cable TV and the Old Bay logo now thinks it can out-tough Chicago? Please.
The Bears, on the other hand, are finding their rhythm. Ben Johnson’s system has found harmony. Caleb Williams is calm and calculating, his footwork like tai chi in cleats. The running game, revitalized through outside zone calls, keeps defenses off balance. And Luther Burden III continues to ignite the crowd every time he touches the football (which we need to feed him more).
Still, the defense will be tested. Three of the top four corners are out. Communication and alignment will be everything. Dennis Allen must rely on creativity, controlled chaos, and a little divine intervention.
🧘♀️ THE MENTAL APPROACH
This game is about emotional balance. You cannot overpursue a wounded animal. You cannot underestimate it either. When the Ravens thrash, the Bears must absorb. When Henry charges, they must flow. When chaos rises, they must breathe.
Just as I did by the Des Plaines River, wounded but unbroken, sipping enlightenment from a tallboy.
🕯️ FINAL CALL
Bears 27, Ravens 23.
Ugly, muddy, glorious. Caleb leads a late touchdown drive. Derrick Henry runs wild, but not free.
The Ravens bleed feathers. The Bears walk tall.
And deep in the forest, I raise one Old Style to the sky and whisper,
“Bear Down.”
