Cleveland Browns: Studs and duds in Week 3 thrashing of Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns Dud: The Offensive line

The bread and butter of the Cleveland Browns offense is their offensive line dominating, and their running backs taking advantage of the holes that are opened up by that domination. On Sunday afternoon, while both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt had productive days, the offensive line still struggled against the Chicago Bears defensive front.

On Cleveland’s very first drive, they elected to go for it on fourth down, rather than kick a long field goal. The offensive line seemed to not even block anyone, allowing quarterback Baker Mayfield to get hit quickly and force a turnover on downs.

The Bears pass-rush came through the offensive line with ease on the next drive as well, stopping Mayfield and his offense on a fourth-and-one attempt. Two drives, two failed fourth-down attempts due to poor blocking.

With an offensive line that is described as dominant by so many in the NFL media, they had a bad day on Sunday, allowing five sacks for a loss of 43 yards. While it was against one of the better defenses in the NFL, and a defense that features one of the best players in the NFL in Khalil Mack, the Browns expect more from their offensive line.

You can expect better play in the future, but Sunday was a struggle for a unit that is usually one of the best and steadiest in the league, and it can’t be ignored. That’s why they make this list as a dud in Week 3.