SOUTH BEND—The Michigan-Notre Dame series returned after a three-year hiatus and the 12th-ranked Fighting Irish became the latest rival to get the best of Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines.Brandon Wimbush connected on a long touchdown pass to help Notre Dame jump out to a big first-half lead, Te’von Coney and the defense made it stand with a late takeaway, and the Fighting Irish beat No. 14 Michigan 24-17 on Saturday night.The Wolverines fell to 1-6 under Harbaugh against the school’s biggest rivals, Ohio State, Michigan State and Notre Dame.A green-out crowd welcomed Michigan back to Notre Dame Stadium and the Fighting Irish scored on their first two drives against a defense loaded with future NFL draft picks. Chris Finke hauled in a deep throw from Wimbush that went through a defender’s hands in traffic for a 43-yard score to put Notre Dame up 14-0 midway through the first half.Wimbush, who had to re-establish himself as the starter in the offseason after a rough end to 2017, was 12 for 22 for 170 yards and an interception and ran for 59 yards.

”It just feels like playing football again,” said Wimbush, who got a game ball from coach Brian Kelly. ”I just had so much fun out there, playing ball and just not worrying about anything else.”

Kelly said of his senior quarterback: ”I thought he played with an edge to him, a confidence.”

Jafar Armstrong’s second touchdown, a 4-yard run with 3:55 left in the second quarter made it 21-3. Ambry Thomas gave the Wolverines a much-needed jolted with a 99-yard touchdown on the ensuing kickoff, but otherwise the Michigan debut of quarterback Shea Patterson was mostly disappointing.Michigan’s only offensive touchdown came with 2:18 left in the fourth quarter, when Karan Higdon rushed in from 3 yards to cut the lead to seven.Patterson, the touted transfer from Mississippi, went 20 for 30 for 227 yards and an interception. He spent a lot of time eluding pass rushers.

”They got us on the inside blitzes. They brought great pressure all night long,” Harbaugh said.

Michigan got a final opportunity with 1:48 and got as far as its 45. Patterson was flushed out of the pocket and stripped by Jerry Tillery. Coney recovered the ball with 46 seconds and sealed Notre Dame’s second straight win against the Wolverines.When they last met in 2014, Notre Dame snapped Michigan’s streak of 365 consecutive games without being shut out with a 31-0 win in South Bend. That loss also marked the beginning of the end of Brady Hoke’s tenure as Michigan coach.

”I thought he (Larkin) managed the end of the game,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. ”All the little things, goes down and keeps the clock running. All those seconds count. That’s a veteran guy even though he’s still young.”

It was a much needed change in direction for Northwestern, which opened last season 2-3.Since then, it has won nine straight overall and nine straight over Big Ten foes – the Wildcats’ longest streaks since their 1995 Rose Bowl. And, for now, they still have the longest winning streak among Power Five schools.The game also marked the return of quarterback Clayton Thorson, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in December. Team doctors advised Fitzgerald to play Thorson and backup TJ Green played in a rotation and both played solid.Thorson wound up 16 of 26 with 172 yards passing in his 40th consecutive start but must to wait at least one more week to break a tie with Brett Basanez and Len Williams to become the school’s career leader in TD passes.Green was 7 of 11 for 63 yards and scored on a 1-yard run to make it 24-14 midway through the second quarter.For Purdue, it was frustrating.Elijah Sindelar was benched after throwing three interceptions in the first half – each leading to a touchdown. He wound up 18 of 30 with 196 yards and connected with freshman Rondale Moore on a 32-yard score late in the first quarter.

”We can take a sack, it’s not a complete killer but we just tossed it to the other team too many times and that’s disappointing,” Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. ”I know he (Sindelar) is disappointed. It will get better.”

Moore had a huge college debut, catching 11 passes for 109 yards, running two times for 79 yards including a nifty 76-yard run to tie the score at 14 and broke Otis Armstrong’s single-game record for all-purpose yards. Armstrong had 312 yards against Indiana in 1972. Moore had 302 at halftime and wound up with 313.The difference, as usual, was turnovers.Sindelar’s first interception led to Larkin’s 1-yard run , and John Moten IV capped the Wildcats’ second possession with a 2-yard TD run.After Moore tied the score, NU kicker Charlie Kuhbander made it 17-14 with a 34-yard field goal.Sindelar was picked off two more times before halftime and the Wildcats cashed in with Green’s TD plunge and Larkin’s 4-yard scoring run to make it 31-17 at halftime.Things slowed down in the second half after D.J. Knox broke free for a 45-yard run on Purdue’s first play. Knox made it 31-24 with a 2-yard TD run and Evans made a 27-yard field goal just 4 seconds into the fourth quarter.But Thorson and Larkin played keep away for the final 7:57, closing it out after Purdue’s Lorenzo Neal was called for a personal foul on third-and-11 with 2:31 to go and the Boilermakers out of timeouts.
”He did an awesome job,” Thorson said, referring to Larkin. ”It’s a credit to how he worked in the offseason and we’ll be behind him all season.”
The Wildcats needed a change after slow starts the past two seasons. This key road win could help them challenge for the Big Ten West crown.

The Bears handed their newly-acquired defensive star a $141 million, six-year extension with $90 million guaranteed, according to multiple reports. Khalil Mack and the Bears just reached agreeement on a record-setting 6-year, $141 million extension ($23.5M per year avg) that includes $90M guaranteed and $60M at signing.Mack is the new highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.It’s been a pretty, pretty, good weekend for Mack, who went from “not talking to the team who drafted him and sitting out the start of the season” to “the highest-paid defender in NFL history on a spicy Bears that just gave up two first-round picks to get him.” There are crazy implications for both sides of the deal. Mack had been sitting out the offseason and preseason with the Raiders declining to negotiate with him and reportedly not speaking with Mack or making an offer to his camp since February. That’s wild considering Mack has 40.5 sacks in 40 years and a Defensive Player of the Year award on his resume.The former No. 5 overall pick made it clear he wanted to be on the field, but there was simply no way to find even ground in negotiations.When it was reported the Raiders wanted two first-round picks for Mack, it seemed like he might just be destined to miss some games and try and squeeze out whatever he could get for this season in order to accrue a year towards free agency. Then the Bears and GM Ryan Pace stepped in and gave Mack everything he wanted, while ensuring the Raiders were sufficiently compensated for the loss of a franchise-caliber defender. Trading Mack left Raiders players stunned, and rightfully so: the idea that Oakland would be waving a white flag on their season not long after signing Gruden to a 10-year, $100 million deal is pretty wild. But it’s also clear the Raiders think they need to save some cash — not signing Mack saves them at least $23 million in terms of cap space, obviously — and acquire some younger talent as they head towards Las Vegas in 2020. The Raiders now will have their young left tackle from the 2018 NFL Draft in Kolton Miller, along with two first-round picks in 2019 and two first-round picks in 2020. If they can hit on some players in those two drafts, they have a very good chance of putting together a nice core.But it’s a core that won’t feature Mack, who is headed to Chicago, where he will be the highest-paid defender in NFL history shortly after signing the papers from the Bears.

CHAMPAIGN—As expected, Illinois showed up to play what many thought would be a nonthreatening Kent State team on Saturday. Unfortunately, its offense didn’t arrive at Memorial Stadium until midway through the third quarter.Nonetheless, the Illini rallied to hold off Kent State 31-24, avoiding an upset and extending its home-opener win streak to 21 games, the fourth-longest in the nation.But the win didn’t come easy for Lovie Smith’s Illinois team, expected to easily turn around a 2-10 season from last year.Following a lackluster first half that saw Kent State leading 17-3, Illinois quarterback AJ Bush showed the crowd of 31,898 why offensive coordinator Rod Smith called him a ”dynamic, dual threat.” Bush passed for 190 yards on 23 attempts, and rushed for 139 yards on 21 carries.

”It’s been a while since AJ played,” Lovie Smith said. ”He’s a tough guy, he’s mobile and he ran well. He also threw some good passes.”

Reggie Corbin carried 10 times for 79 yards and two touchdowns for the Illini (1-0). Mike Epstein and Ra’Von Bonner added rushing touchdowns.Woody Barrett, announced by first-year Kent State coach Sean Lewis as the starting quarterback at game time, was 28-of-41 passing for 270 yards and two touchdowns. He threw an interception late when Illinois linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips picked off a short pass into the end zone that would have tied it with less than three minutes remaining.Barrett and sophomore Dustin Crum had battled for the starting spot since spring.Barrett also was the leading rusher for the Golden Flashes with 18 carries for 117 yards and one touchdown.Lewis saw much to be happy about on Saturday.

”For year one, game one, it’s certainly something we can build on,” he said. ”Obviously, we need to finish stronger and there are going to be some things we need to look at.”

Mike Carrigan rushed for 62 yards on eight carries and a touchdown for Kent State (0-1).Before the game, Illinois announced the indefinite suspension of five players, including three starters: safety Bennett Williams, cornerback Nate Hobbs and tight end Lou Dorsey. Wideout Carmoni Green and defensive tackle Deon Pate also were suspended.The loss of defensive backs Williams and Hobbs hurt the Illini, allowing Barrett to pepper the Illini secondary with passes early in the game, throwing for 110 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. Illinois tightened up in the second half. Losing Dorsey also hurt with backup Daniel Barker a nonfactor in the game.The team said the suspensions were for ”breaking team rules.” No further information was available, nor was it certain how long the players will be out, although Lovie Smith indicated after the game it might be sooner rather than later.With 2:11 left and Illinois up 31-24, Kent State drove to the Illini 2-yard-line. After being backed up to the 6, Barrett dropped back on fourth down. Carrigan had slipped to the left and was open briefly in the back of the end zone. Barrett fired the ball and Phillips leaped and snared the interception, ending the Kent State threat and securing the Illinois victory.Illinois was expected to cruise to victory over a Kent State team picked by most to finish last in the Mid-American Conference. But Rod Smith’s offense didn’t awaken until midway through the third quarter, finally bringing the crowd to its feet as it struck twice in less than three minutes to tie the game at 24.A few minutes later, Corbin punched his way in on a 1-yard carry to cap an eight-play, 55-yard drive that put Illinois up for Illinois hosts Western Illinois on Saturday.

AJ McCarron delivered in the end after struggling for most of the game, leading a fourth-quarter surge that culminated with a touchdown pass in the final minute, and the Buffalo Bills closed the preseason with a 28-27 victory over the Bears on Thursday night.With both teams holding out their starters and few key reserves playing, the focus was on McCarron. For most of the game, he made a shaky case for a roster spot let alone a starting job, but he did come through down the stretch.He ran for a touchdown and threw for three more in the fourth – including a 6-yarder to Keith Towbridge in the closing minute. That capped an 84-yard drive that was aided by two roughing-the-passer calls, including one against Isaiah Irving on a fourth down at the Buffalo 3.McCarron was 13 of 34 for 156 yards and had an interception returned for a touchdown in the early going. He could be the odd man out if the Bills opt to go with two quarterbacks rather than three, though coach Sean McDermott insisted he is ”absolutely” in the race for the starting job with first-round pick Josh Allen and returning backup Nathan Peterman.He also said he has not decided who will start the opener at Baltimore on Sept. 9.Tyler Bray made a case for the Bears to keep three quarterbacks. With Mitchell Trubisky and backup Chase Daniel not playing, Bray was 19 of 29 for 180 yards and an interception. Ryan Nall ran for 79 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown.

”I like where we’re at,” said Bears coach Matt Nagy, in his first season. ”We’ve got a lot of depth and we’re going to have some tough decisions here coming up.”

Signed to a two-year deal in free agency after spending the past four seasons as Andy Dalton’s backup in Cincinnati, McCarron was considered the initial front-runner for the Bills’ starting job because he had more experience than Allen and returning backup Peterman.But he missed a little over a week after he bruised his right shoulder while being hit several times at Cleveland on Aug. 17. That injury along with his performance seemed to knock him out of the running for the starting job. It also raised questions about whether he will make the opening roster.But McCarron said he has ”no clue” where he stands in the competition or if he’ll make the roster.McCarron got off to a brutal start, throwing for just 39 yards and getting picked off twice in the first half.His troubles really began after Cody Parkey kicked a 47-yard field goal on the Bears first possession.Moments later, McCarron threw a pass right to the Bears’ Doran Grant along the sideline, resulting in a 33-yard touchdown return . And just like that, it was 10-0.Parkey added a 23-yard field goal midway through the second quarter. Nall made it 20-0 with just under two minutes left in the half with his 32-yard TD run up the right sideline, though the Bears missed another opportunity in the closing seconds after McCarron got picked off again.Abdullah Anderson tipped a pass at the line, leading to an interception for John Timu. But Parkey’s 39-yard attempt hit the right upright.There were no protests by either team during the anthem.TE Daniel Brown suffered a shoulder injury on a 27-yard catch in the third and left the game. Nagy said he’s not sure if it’s ”day by day or week by week.” … LB Kasim Edebali was helped off the field and taken from the sideline on a cart with a bruised leg after a run by Buffalo on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Bears coach Matt Nagy decided to rest his starters for the next-to-last preseason game rather than use it as the customary regular-season tuneup.And the backups proved that they’re also ready for the regular season. Backup quarterback Chase Daniel directed touchdown drives on the first three possessions and the Bears defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 27-20 on Saturday.The Bears played in the Hall of Fame Game and have been practicing since July 20, and Nagy liked what he’d seen in practices.So he decided Friday to keep starters out of what normally would be a dress rehearsal for the regular-season opener at Green Bay on Sept. 9.

”This was, for me, more of just knowing the pulse of our team,” Nagy said. ”I know this team better than anybody right now.”

Daniel replaced Mitchell Trubisky against the Chiefs, the team Nagy last year served as offensive coordinator. Nagy didn’t think Trubisky, who is in his second year as a starter, would have benefited greatly after about 2,000 preseason and training camp snaps.

”We’ve had some grueling practices against Denver, some live reps in our past couple preseason games,” Nagy said.

Playing against Chiefs defensive starters and then the backups, Daniel led the Bears to a 24-10 halftime lead.Daniel, a Chiefs backup quarterback from 2013-15, finished 15 of 18 for 198 yards and two touchdowns. The first two Bears touchdown drives came against Kansas City’s starting defense, minus injured safety Eric Berry and four other injured players.Wide-open receiver Kevin White caught Daniel’s 29-yard TD pass in the first quarter to break a 7-7 tie, and Daniel then found Javon Wims for a 7-yard TD pass in the back corner of the end zone and a 21-10 lead.Benny Cunningham ran in from 13 yards for the Bear’s first TD and Cody Parkey added a 48-yard field goal just before halftime.Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes II and the starting offense played into the third quarter against the backup Bears defense, and showed inconsistency.Mahomes flipped a short pass to the right side and Kareem Hunt turned it into a 19-yard TD for a 7-7 tie. Then he led a 49-yard drive ending in Harrison Butker’s second-quarter 47-yard field goal.Mahomes didn’t produce a big play on Saturday, and finished 18 of 24 for 196 yards. He left the game with the Chiefs down 24-10 in the third quarter.

NOTES—Bears wide receiver Kevin White’s 29-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter was the first touchdown he has scored since coming into the NFL as the seventh pick in the 2015 draft. White missed 2015 and much of 2016 with leg injuries, and played one game last year before suffering a shoulder injury. He is vying for a roster spot in a crowded wide receiver competition and has Nagy’s eye.

”I root for underdogs, I love underdogs,” Nagy said. ”And so when you have an underdog that fights his tail off to improve and when people don’t believe in him and he proves the people who do believe in him right, then there’s nothing better to me.”

Nagy and his mentor, Reid, shared a hug and a few moments after the game.Nagy also had a long talk after the game with Mahomes, who started a game for the Chiefs last year as a rookie.

”I told him good luck,” Mahomes said. ”He was someone that I really got to know last year and really built a great relationship with him. I’m excited for him and his future with Chicago.”

Chiefs linebacker Tanoh Kpassagnon was flagged for roughing Daniel in the second quarter, even though Daniel was tackled with the ball still in his hand. Daniel said it was because Kpassagnon drove him into the ground with the full force of his body.

”I got crushed,” Daniel said. ”I’m glad I was wearing full pads out there.”

Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers last year suffered a broken collarbone on a similar hit…..There were no protests during the anthem….Bears wide receiver Marlon Brown left in the second quarter with a possible concussion and did not return. … Bears reserve tackle Bradley Sowell was assisted from the field in the fourth quarter with a leg injury….The Chiefs close the preseason Thursday by hosting Green Bay.The Bears ene the preseason Thursday by hosting the Buffalo Bills.The Brears again will rest most starters.

DENVER—Mitch Trubisky and Denver QB Case Keenum feel better about their respective offenses after starting out faster and finally moving the chains Saturday night.

”Scoring points always feels better,” said Keenum, who led two scoring drives in three possessions one week after his dud of a Denver debut.

Trubisky also bounced back from a dismal debut last week by connecting with Trey Burton for his first score of the summer.

”We can find answers in this offense,” said Trubisky, who’s learning first-year coach Matt Nagy’s philosophies. ”The playmakers are going to get open. It’s my job to get them the ball.”

Keenum’s new backup Chad Kelly threw another touchdown pass after leapfrogging Paxton Lynch, but it was Bears backup Chase Daniel who had the best night of all.He led a fantastic finish by throwing for a pair of touchdowns in the final five minutes Saturday night to spark the Bears come-from-behind 24-23 win.With the Broncos in control at 23-10, Lynch entered the game to a thunderclap of boos, which only increased through three drives that went nowhere.

”Well, I feel bad for Paxton, but our fans want to win,” Broncos coach Vance Joseph said. ”That’s what it’s about, it’s about passion, I should say. But I feel bad for Paxton. But he has to ignore it and go play. It’s professional football. No one’s going to hold your hand, so he has to go out there and perform.”

Lynch played poorly again.A week after his 24-yard performance led to his demotion, he threw for just 39 yards on 5-of-11 passing with a pair of sacks.He nevertheless had the Broncos (0-2) in field goal range when he hit Isaiah McKenzie on a short slant route and the speedy receiver who fumbled six times as a rookie, coughed up the football on second effort at the Bears 37 and linebacker Isaiah Irving recovered it with 58 seconds left.Daniel threw a 2-yard TD pass to running back Taquan Mizzell with 4:38 left and then hit tight end Ben Braunecker with 1:53 remaining to tie it. Pat O’Donnell’s extra point gave the Bears (1-2) their first lead.After a pair of three-and-outs last week, Keenum rebounded from another three-and-out to lead two scoring drives on his final two possessions, finishing 8 for 13 for 78 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.Kelly had his second straight strong showing, this one just 48 hours after general manager John Elway indicated he might have to go in search of a veteran backup quarterback if he can’t trust either Kelly or Lynch to come in and win games should Keenum get hurt.Even though Kelly’s three TDs are the only ones thrown by Denver’s quarterbacks so far, Joseph’s not ready to say he can trust him to be one play away from starting when the regular season begins.Trubisky threw for 90 yards and a touchdown on 9-of-14 passing. He also threw an interception and was tackled by first-round pick Bradley Chubb for a safety after the shotgun snap from the 1 went off his hands.Trubisky said he’s feeling more and more comfortable in the Bears new offense.Von Miller , who was held out at the last minute a week earlier, made his preseason debut for Denver and played a couple of series. Miller said he wasn’t upset by the decision last week to sit him against the Vikings but said he did want to play.

CINCINNATI—Andy Dalton made the Bengals’ new offense look like a comfortable fit.Working out of Cincinnati’s reconfigured playbook, Dalton threw a pair of touchdown passes during a 30-27 victory over the Bears on Thursday night at half-empty Paul Brown Stadium.The Bengals (1-0) were last in the league on offense last season, the worst finish in franchise history. They overhauled their leaky offensive line, and coordinator Bill Lazor injected more diversity into the playbook. It showed the first time out.

”That’s what we wanted to do,” Dalton said. ”If we go out and play like we’re supposed to play, it can look like that.”

Dalton went 6 of 8 for 103 yards, completing four passes of at least 20 yards. He also had an interception that wasn’t his fault – John Ross fell on his route and Kyle Fuller returned the pickoff 47 yards to the end zone.The Bengals are hoping that Ross and running back Joe Mixon – their top two picks last season – emerge in the redesigned offense during their second seasons.Ross had a 20-yard catch. Mixon – moved into the starring role with Jeremy Hill gone – made the game’s most impressive play. He caught a short pass, stiff-armed one defender and spun away from another for a 24-yard touchdown .The Bears (0-2) rested most of their starters during a 17-16 loss to the Ravens in the Hall of Fame Game, including quarterback Mitchell Trubisky . His preseason debut Thursday didn’t go very well.

”We expect to be better,” Trubisky said. ”We were sloppy and that’s not how we want to play.”

Trubisky was in for two series that netted minus-1 yard on eight plays. The Bears’ only first down on those series came on Carlos Dunlap’s penalty for roughing the quarterback, a late hit on Trubisky. He missed on a deep sideline pass to Kevin White on his opening throw and finished 2 of 4 for 4 yards.

”There was nothing extraordinary, but nothing bad,” first-year coach Matt Nagy said. ”This is so early for him right now. It’ll be fun to get him more snaps and get him into a rhythm.”

Attendance was 35,633, slightly more than half-capacity at the 65,535-seat stadium. Last year, the Bengals drew 44,495 for their first home preseason game. They’re coming off two straight losing seasons.Tyler Bray had a 56-yard completion to Daniel Brown during a 92-yard touchdown drive that put the Bears ahead in the fourth quarter. Bray finished 18 of 27 for 219 yards. The Bears signed him from Kansas City, where he was familiar with Nagy’s offense.Nagy decided to try for a tying field goal with 45 seconds left. Cody Parkey missed a 52-yard try.

NOTES—There were no protests. Bears players, coaches and staff stood with arms linked for the anthem. Bengals players stood by themselves on the sideline…..Demarcus Ayers and Fejedelem drew personal fouls for lowering their heads during tackles…..The Bears play at Denver on Saturday, Aug. 18.

Blackhawks legend Stan Mikita died on Tuesday at 78, according to his family, after a long battle with illness. Mikita is one of the most prominent names in Blackhawks lore. He holds Blackhawks records for games played, points, assists and plus/minus. He trails only one-time teammate Bobby Hull for the team record for goals scored at 541.Mikita played 22 NHL seasons, every one with the Blackhawks. He won the Hart Trophy as league MVP twice, in 1966 and 1967, and he won the Art Ross Trophy four times.In the family’s statement, they asked for privacy as they mourned the passing of Mikita.

“With great sorrow, the Mikita family announces that Stan passed away on Tuesday August 7, 2018 at the age of 78,” the statement said, per the NHL’s website. “He was surrounded by his loving family whom he fiercely loved. Details of planned services will be released when they become available. We respectfully ask for privacy at this time.”

Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz also had a statement released on his behalf, which read:

Stan Mikita will be always remembered as a champion, an innovator and a master of the game. He embodied the Chicago Blackhawks. His excellence is illustrated by the team records he still holds today. His passion for the game was proved by the longevity of his playing career. The impact he had on the franchise is proved by fact that Blackhawks fans still wear his jersey to the United Center. On behalf of the Chicago Blackhawks organization and our fans, we express our deepest condolences to the Mikita family and all who mourn Stan’s passing.

“Stan Mikita will be always remembered as a champion, an innovator and a master of the game. He embodied the Chicago Blackhawks.” #ForeverABlackhawk

Mikita was the inspiration for a diner in “Wayne’s World,” the famous “Stan Mikita’s Donuts,” run by an extremely curmudgeony Ed O’Neill. About a year and a half ago, “Stan Mikita’s Donuts” opened up for real for a weekend in Los Angeles.Mikita was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983. The Blackhawks also retired his No. 21 after his retirement in 1980.Mikita was diagnosed with suspected dementia with Lewy Body in 2015, and his health took a turn for the worse. While robbed of his memories, Mikita’s family said in June 2015 that it wouldn’t join any of the concussion and CTE lawsuits being brought against the NHL at the time.

CANTON—The Ravens and Bears honored their great linebackers Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher with some defense to make them proud in the Hall of Fame game that opened the NFL’s preseason Thursday night.Oh, there was a little spark of offense, some provided by Baltimore’s first-round draft pick Lamar Jackson in the second half of a 17-16 victory. His 7-yard touchdown pass to fellow first-rounder Hayden Hurst came after the Ravens’ defense recovered a fumble.The Bears put together its best drive in the final minutes and journeyman Tyler Bray connected with Tanner Gentry for a 10-yard score to cap a 92-yard march. But the 2-point conversion pass fell incomplete.Otherwise, D was the letter of the day: there were six turnovers in all, and 12 sacks, eight by the Bears.The teams exchanged tipped interceptions on the first two possessions of the preseason.The Bears moved swiftly downfield only to have Chase Daniel’s pass to Josh Bellamy deflected to safety Chuck Clark at the Baltimore 6. He returned it 15 yards, then the Ravens replicated the turnover.Robert Griffin III, attempting a comeback after sitting out 2017, had his pinpoint throw go off the hands of receiver Breshad Perriman, then off rookie cornerback Michael Joseph. DeAndre Houston-Carson dived to make the pick at the Ravens 34.The Bears soon converted when Michael Burton caught a 4-yard scoring pass from Daniel.Baltimore tied it, sparked by two big gainers by undrafted rookie running back Gus Edwards. Griffin found Maxx Williams for a 4-yard score.Then Lewis’ old unit thrilled him. On the next play from scrimmage, linebacker Kamalei Correa sped 19 yards with an interception to the Bears 9. But Urlacher’s former defense made him smile, sacking Griffin on third down to hold Baltimore to a 31-yard field goal by Kaare Vedvik.Generally, it was a sloppy affair marred by a slew of dropped passes, poor protection for the quarterbacks, and misthrows by those QBs.But something Lewis and Urlacher would approve, the defenses hit hard and tackled well.Matt Nagy, of late the offensive coordinator in Kansas City, made his head coaching debut with the Bears. He has said his new offense is in the early steps of development, and it looked that way all night.Of course, with backups playing it’s nearly impossible to gauge progress.Each of the seven inductees to the hall who were on hand – Terrell Owens is a well-publicized no-show – received a rousing ovation when they were introduced before the game. Lewis replicated his patented warmup dance for a few seconds, and Urlacher slapped hand with every Bears player lined up on the 45-yard line.Also walking along midfield between the lines of Ravens and Bears were Randy Moss, Brian Dawkins, Jerry Kramer, Robert Brazile and Bobby Beathard.Owens did make it onto the cover of the Hall of Fame enshrinement magazine, however.

NOTES—At halftime, Hall of Famers Ozzie Newsome, the general manager of the Ravens, and Dan Fouts received their ”Rings of Excellence” from David Baker, the hall’s president.The first application of the NFL’s enhanced enforcement of penalties for players lowering their helmet to make a tackle occurred early. Ravens linebacker Patrick Onwuasor was flagged for his hit on Benny Cunningham, earning a 15-yard penalty that helped set up the Bear’s first touchdown.Correa got nailed for the same violation in the third quarter, but he also had a sack that forced a fumble in that period, and three sacks overall….The Bears are at Cincinnati next Thursday night.