Tyler Huntley orchestrates game-winning drive, leads Lamar Jackson-less Baltimore Ravens to win over Bears

CHICAGO — Tyler Huntley found out he was going to start at quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday when he received a text from Lamar Jackson on his way to board the bus to Soldier Field.

“Go do your thing today. I’m going to be watching.”

A few hours later, Huntley showed the football world that the Ravens can win without the 2019 NFL MVP, rallying Baltimore to an improbable 16-13 victory over the Chicago Bears. Huntley became the fourth quarterback over the past 30 seasons to record a game-winning drive in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter in his first career start, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

With Baltimore down 13-9, Huntley’s 30-yard pass to Sammy Watkins set up the go-ahead, 3-yard touchdown run by Devonta Freeman with 22 seconds left in the game.

“I think if I was feeling the pressure, we probably wouldn’t have won this game,” Huntley said after the game. “You got to go with the flow about winning the game. We knew we had to go down there and score.”

Jackson missed the third game of his four-year career because of congestion in his lungs, a source told ESPN. The Ravens had believed Jackson would play after he fully participated in Friday’s practice, but all of the symptoms returned on Saturday.

On the flight to Chicago, Jackson was curled up in a ball in his seat and was feeling so sick that he didn’t realize the plane had landed. He didn’t attend any meetings Saturday night.

The Ravens were hoping that Jackson would improve by Sunday morning, but Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Jackson “felt worse.”

Harbaugh doesn’t believe this illness will sideline Jackson long term.

“There’s no influenza, there’s no COVID,” he said. “I don’t know. I’m sure if it doesn’t clear up, they’ll keep testing him, but you got to think that it’s going to clear up. We’ll pray for that.”

Jackson was the first player to congratulate Huntley when he walked into the locker room.

With the Titans and Bills losing, the Ravens remain in the hunt for the AFC’s…