Fans of the Cleveland Browns have watched some bad football over the years, but Sunday’s trip to frosty Soldier Field was something else.
The Browns gave up a 52-yard kickoff return to open the game, and it only got worse from there in what ended up being a 31-3 loss to the now 10-win Chicago Bears.
Of Cleveland’s 12 offensive possessions, seven ended in punts (including its first six in a row) and three ended with interceptions. The Browns only converted one first down in the first half, and nine total for the game.
Hey, at least Browns fans can appreciate Myles Garrett, who extended his sack streak to eight consecutive games and now sits just one shy of tying the NFL’s single-season record with three games left to play. But with the offense sputtering, Cleveland’s typically stout defense has now surrendered 88 points over its last three games.
All Browns fans can do is dig for silver linings. We just have to dig a little deeper this time.
Best and worst from the Cleveland Browns’ 31-3 loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 15
Winner: DE Myles Garrett
Garrett revealed after the game that he picked up some sort of left hip injury, but it didn’t stop him from playing his normal allotment of snaps. He officially finished with 1.5 sacks on Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.
The best defensive player in football now has a ridiculous 17.5 sacks over Cleveland’s last eight games.
Loser: QB Shedeur Sanders
It’s not all his fault, as the Browns were woefully undermanned due to injuries in this one, but Sanders had, by far, his roughest game since taking over as Cleveland’s starter in Week 12. His completion percentage (51.4), sacks (5), and QB rating (30.3) were all new career lows, and this was also the first game he didn’t factor into the scoring with a passing or rushing touchdown.
Sanders will definitely have better days, because it’s hard to get worse than Sunday’s showing.
Winner: LB Carson Schwesinger
Here’s one silver lining: Schwesinger notched a career-high 14 total tackles against the Bears, and now has at least 10 tackles in six consecutive games. On the season, the rookie has 133 total tackles and 12.5 tackles for loss, to go with a pair of interceptions.
Let's just get it over with, and give him Defensive Rookie of the Year now.
Loser: WR Jerry Jeudy
With tight end David Njoku and running back Dylan Sampson both ruled out with injuries, and go-to target Harold Fannin Jr. garnering the bulk of the Bears' attention, the Browns needed Jeudy to step up in this game.
Not only did he fail to deliver anything close to WR1 production, but he botched a perfectly thrown ball from Sanders that resulted in an end zone interception. It’s been a rough year for Jeudy, and Sunday was just the latest chapter.
Winner: WR Isaiah Bond
The Browns might have found a special talent in the undrafted rookie out of the University of Texas. Bond caught a pair of deep balls from Sanders and finished with 89 of Cleveland’s 177 receiving yards.
Bond appears to be settling into a downfield speed option for Sanders, which fits his game to a tee.
Loser: GM Andrew Berry
Kevin Stefanski also deserves mention here, as his team definitely wasn’t ready to match the Bears and give them a real run for their money. The overarching problem comes down to the roster, though. Berry drafted a pair of quarterbacks in Sanders and Dillon Gabriel this year, but opted against supporting them with corresponding moves at offensive tackle, guard and wide receiver.
The Browns’ offensive line was too old and severely short on depth entering the season, and it’s now rearing its ugly head. The wide receiver room of Jeudy, Cedric Tillman and Bond, meanwhile, was doomed from the start, never mind with rookie quarterbacks in the team’s plans for this year.
It all comes back to Berry. His 2025 rookie class looks as good as any in the NFL, but his overall mismanagement of the roster around Deshaun Watson’s hampering contract is impossible to ignore.