The Cleveland Browns completely dominated the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon. Here are the best and worst performers from their overall impressive performance.
The Cleveland Browns faced off against the Chicago Bears and rookie quarterback Justin Fields on Sunday afternoon. The Browns defense harrassed Fields all day, making him look every bit like a rookie, while the offense continued their normal rhythm of ground and pound.
In the end, the Browns walked away with a resounding 26-6 victory.
Not everything was hunky-dory, however, as the Browns did have some performers that were less than stellar. It’s easy to overlook the bad in a victory that was so one-sided, but it’s important to remain balanced as an onlooker, critiquing the bad while praising the good.
With that said, here are Cleveland’s best performers on Sunday, as well as their worst, as the Browns move forward to their Week 4 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.
Cleveland Browns Stud: Kareem Hunt’s versatility
Cleveland truly may have the best backfield duo in the entire NFL. Not only do they have an incredible starting running back in Nick Chubb, but they also have a stellar backup in Kareem Hunt, a former starter in the league that was given a second chance in the NFL by the Cleveland Browns following some off-field issues.
That seems like a lifetime ago now, as Hunt has made himself a better man off the field, but also continued his dominance on the field for the Browns. On a day where Chubb struggled to get any sort of chunk plays, Hunt provided several big plays on the day to help Cleveland blast past the Chicago Bears.
Hunt tallied 81 yards on 10 rushes and added 74 yards in the air on six catches. His biggest play on the day was his 29-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Hunt bounced off multiple Bears defenders on his way to the endzone to put the game out of reach for good.
What Hunt brings to this team in both the pass and running game is hard to ignore, and is exactly what makes him an indispensable part of this roster. If the Browns are legit, it will be in large part to Kareem Hunt and what he brings to the entire offense. That versatility was on full display on Sunday afternoon and should continue to make Browns fans happy.
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.
Cleveland Browns Stud: Odell Beckham Jr.’s return
The loss of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to injury in the 2020 season was a big hit to the Cleveland Browns offense. While their main focus is to run successfully, to be a truly successful team in the NFL, you have to be able to throw the ball.
Not having OBJ and his ability to make big plays was a big loss for an offense that lacked skilled playmakers on the outside. That absence was felt most in the team’s playoff loss against the Kansas City Chiefs, where their inability to stretch the field resulted in a collapsed Chiefs defense that they ultimately couldn’t get past.
With Jarvis Landry on the IR, and him slated to miss at least three games, it was important for OBJ to come back and provide a spark for the Browns on the outside. On Sunday against the Bears, he did just that, snagging five catches for 77 yards. While none of those catches were exactly exceptional, it was more the fact the Beckham looked healthy and back to his old self in his return from the surgery on his torn ACL.
While in previous seasons, Baker Mayfield and OBJ always struggled to get on the same page, it was clear that those struggles appear to be behind them. Beckham will be a key piece to the Browns success and will continue to be their best receiver on the outside as long as he remains healthy. Any struggles between him and Mayfield are well behind them, as clearly seen in Sunday’s performance.
Cleveland Browns Dud: Kevin Stefanski’s decision making
Kevin Stefanski has brought stability to a Browns team that has lacked anything resembling that since their return to the league in 1999. Not only that, but he has brought stability to a coaching position that has been a revolving door for as long as anyone can remember.
Since Stefanski first took the sideline as the head coach, the Browns have been a consistent team. Clean, disciplined football, with a focus on doing what they know best, running and using play action.
On Sunday, while the Browns walked away with a victory, several of Stefanski’s decisions left fans scratching their heads and made fans weary in the first half. On the very first possession, the Browns made it down to the Bears’ 38-yard line before the drive stalled, making a fourth-and-five.
The execution wasn’t great, as the offensive line allowed the defense to roll straight through and blow up the play. As if that weren’t enough, the Browns second offensive drive of the game also saw them go for it on fourth down, this time a fourth-and-one, and again, the offense came up short.
While the execution ultimately comes down to the offense, the decision to start the game with two fourth-down conversions, and failing on both, is questionable, especially against a quarterback in his first NFL start. While the defense stepped up big in the game and held the Bears’ offense in check, those decisions could come back to hurt them in future games against more quality competition.
Stefanski is still a very good coach, and is the coach that the Browns need to get where they want. On Sunday afternoon, however, a few decisions he made could have been better thought through.
Cleveland Browns Stud: Myles Garrett and his record-setting day
The Cleveland Browns defense had a field day on Sunday afternoon. In reality, you could put the entire defense as a stud. You could also put defensive coordinator Joe Woods on this list as a stud, having an excellent game plan to stop rookie Justin Fields from ever feeling comfortable in his first career start.
If there’s one player on the defense that deserves some recognition as a standout performer on Sunday, however, it’s defensive lineman Myles Garrett.
Garrett had underperformed through two games in the 2021 season, tallying only one sack in two weeks. While he was consistently getting pressure, he gets paid to get home and make plays on the quarterback in the backfield.
On Sunday, Garrett did just that, getting into the Bears backfield time and again for a total of 4.5 sacks, a Cleveland Browns team record. For a franchise that has been around for a long time, breaking any team record is something to be recognized and praised.
What a historic day for @flash_garrett! pic.twitter.com/bJvNWC3GGe
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 26, 2021
The Browns finished the day with nine sacks as a team, so Garrett getting half of those is quite impressive.
While it’s impossible to expect this kind of performance every week, it’s great to see Garrett have a dominant performance and remind everyone why he was the team’s No. 1 overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft.