Sometimes, it’s not that you lost, it’s how you lose. Last week, the Browns lost to the Tennessee Titans 31-29, and looked horrible doing so. The team’s focus shifts to the next game as our Cleveland Browns travel to frigid Soldier Field to take on the surging 9-4 Chicago Bears.
On the surface, Bears QB Caleb Williams looks to be having a fairly decent season, but a closer look shows a significant decline. The former USC Trojan has struggled mightily with his pass accuracy this season. In thirteen games, Williams ranks second-to-last in not only completion percentage (57.8%) but also percentage of passes thrown on target (61.5%) per Pro Football Reference. His erratic playstyle could be exploited by a Browns defense that gives up 165.2 passing yards per game, the fewest in the league.
With WR Rome Odunze questionable with a foot injury, Williams will most likely rely on WR D.J. Moore and promising rookie TE Colston Loveland.
Chicago’s two-headed rushing attack of DeAndre Swift and Kyle Monangai looks to be the main factor behind their recent success. Swift, a one-time Pro Bowler, has run for 837 yards with five touchdowns. Monangai, a rookie seventh-rounder out of Rutgers, has accounted for 648 rushing yards along with five scores as well. Swift’s agility and elusiveness have complemented Monangai’s bruising downhill style well. Given that Cleveland’s defense was gashed by Tennessee Titans RB Tony Pollard to the tune of 161 rushing yards and two touchdowns, Chicago may have a big day on the ground.
When you think “Chicago Bears,” you’d probably think of a dominant, Super Bowl-caliber defense such as the one they had during the 80s and early 2000s. The 2025 Chicago Bears defense, however, isn’t anywhere close to those units of the past. The Bears are one of the worst teams in the NFL at defending the run. They give up the second-most yards per rush (5.1) and the sixth-most total rushing yards per game (132.5). The Browns should look to get Quinshon Judkins and the run game going early.
The saving grace of this admittedly soft Bears defense is their ability to generate turnovers. Chicago’s defense leads the league in total takeaways (27) and interceptions (18). This is in part due to the play of FS Kevin Byard. Byard, who played 8½ seasons for Tennessee, currently leads the league in interceptions with six. Byard’s teammate, CB Nashon Wright, is putting up a possible Pro Bowl-caliber season as well. Coming out of Oregon State, Wright spent four seasons with Dallas and Minnesota before signing with Chicago. This year, he has five interceptions, tied for the second most in the league. This impressive combination could prove difficult for Cleveland QB Shedeur Sanders to overcome.
Strengths:
- Strong Running Game
- Good Offensive Line
- Opportunistic Defense
Weaknesses:
- QB Has Low Completion Percentage
- Feast Or Famine Defense
- Weak Run Defense
Losing at home is bad. Losing at home to a 1-11 team in that manner is inexcusable. The Browns were the more talented team, but they were completely outhustled, outclassed, and outclassed last week. Now, the Bears are a much more difficult opponent for Cleveland than Tennessee. They’re a significantly better team; they’re fighting for playoff seeding; and they’re at home. Even with the offense finally finding its groove and Shedeur Sanders’ improvement, this game could get out of hand fast for the Browns. Normally, I’d give them a fighting chance, but given the effort that we’ve seen last week, I can’t realistically see Cleveland winning.
Score Prediction:
- CLE- 19
- CHI- 26
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