Browns: 3 good and 3 bad from Week 3’s game against the Bears
By Chad Porto
Browns dominate the Bears on both sides of the line.
It’s fair to say that the Cleveland Browns defense got their cake and ate it too when the Chicago Bears came to town. The Bears’ offense was awful coming into the season, something Chicago head coach Matt Nagy has not done well with, but had some hope with former Pro Bowler Andy Dalton under center.
Dalton gets hurt, and the rookie Justin Fields got placed into the game in his stead. So the Browns defense, on paper, should’ve handled the Bears under normal circumstances but with Fields, Cleveland was expected to have a field day.
No one expected the Browns defensive line to secure nine sacks, however. Myles Garrett had 4.5, Jadeveon Clowney had 2.0, and four others had a sack or half-a-sack respectively.
The Browns did struggle on offense at times. Penalties and blown assignments will do that, but Baker Mayfield also overthrew a few guys, mostly due to the pressure he was under all day from Chicago.
Considering how accurate Mayfield has been throughout the year, the fact that Mayfield ‘only’ completed 61% of his passes shouldn’t concern anyone. The Bears’ defense may be the best in the league at getting to the quarterback, and that didn’t change on Sunday. They’re a great squad.
The Browns did what they do best come the second half and ran the Bears into the ground, all while managing the score. Cleveland only trailed once all game, and while the score looked close early on, the play on the field would’ve told you anything but.