Bears weather the storm

Associated Press

CHICAGO

Josh McCown spent a few quiet moments trying to figure out what would happen. He probably didn’t envision this.

The Bears waited out a long rain delay and put in extra time to come away with a much-needed win.

Robbie Gould kicked a 38-yard field goal to lift the Bears (6-4) to a 23-20 victory over Baltimore Sunday in a game delayed about two hours by a torrential downpour.

Justin Tucker tied it for the Ravens with a 21-yard field goal at the end of regulation.

The big delay came after Tucker kicked a 52-yarder with 4:51 remaining in the first quarter. Fans were ordered to take cover as players headed to the locker rooms while heavy rains and winds whipped through Soldier Field.

They emerged about two hours later with the sky clearing and the sun coming out, but the rain and wind returned in the third quarter, turning the stands into a sea of ponchos.

During the delay, Bears players stretched and went over the game plan.

“Closed my eyes and just trying to think about the game, visualize the game a little bit,” McCown said. “And kind of assess what happened the first two series. What did we do wrong? Why weren’t we moving the ball? What are they going to do to us?”

Ravens coach John Harbaugh’s team is no stranger to delays. The Ravens (4-6) experienced a power outage in the Super Bowl, after all, and the start of their season-opener at Denver was pushed back by lightning. Both were just 34 minutes, though.

“I think we’ve led the league in delays over the last few years,” Harbaugh said.