Bears at Browns In-Game Blog

Chicago Bears at the Cleveland Browns in-game updates and blog from BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain as quarterback Justin Fields makes his first career start.

Fourth Quarter

• Browns 26, Bears 6 FINAL

• Bears' 1 net passing yard the fewest since 1981

• After a first-down catch-and-run by David Montgomery, Bears fail on four plays with the ninth sack on fourth down. TWO-MINUTE WARNING!!!

• A 28-yard McLaughlin field goal. Browns 26, Bears 6

• Eddie Jackson collision on the sidelines and a member of the chain gang was injured. Taking the guy away on a stretcher.

• Browns went over 400 yards on fourth-and-1 run by Chubbs. Bears have 51.

• McLaughlin with a 52-yard field goal. Browns 23, Bears 6.

• Bilal Nichols pass rush forces Mayfield into an incompletion on third down but Browns going for it at Bears 32. Just tried to pull the Bears offsides and it didn't work.

• Chubb's two runs make it third-and-2 and Browns look to lock this away.

• Mayfield to OBJ for the first down, then Chubb plows through the Bears defense for a first down. They've worn down the Bears defense.

• Fields throws incomplete to Kmet with a defender draped on his back, but it still wouldn't have been a first down.

• Zone read and he keeps it for 5 out of bounds. Again takes a shot.

• Incomplete on first down to sideline. 

• From the 28, incomplete to A-Rob on short out. Then holding on Ward bails out Bears offense.

• Bears have as much chance of coming back in this as Europe does of coming back to win the Ryder Cup, trailing 11-5 and with the USA leading 9-2-1 in matches today. 

• Eddie Jackson whiffs on a tackle in the open field and Hunt takes it to the house. Browns 20 Bears 6

• At Bears 30, Mayfield overthrows OBJ on second-and-3

• 302 yards to 59 for the Bears.

Third Quarter

• Three-and-out with Myles Garrett getting sack No. 4 1/2.

• Screen to Hunt works again, this for 24. The Bears pride themselves on stopping screens but Roquan and Alec Ogletree were nowhere to be found. Quarter ends. Browns 13, Bears 6

• Browns from the 25 and Mayfield finds OBJ in middle of zone for a first down behind Deon Bush. Bootleg pass didn't fool Hicks or Mack and Mayfield has no one open. Throws incomplete.

• It's probably the safe play by Nagy to take that field goal, but it's just surprising considering they were deep in Cleveland territory and it was fourth-and-3 and he has said he wants touchdowns and not field goals.

• The replay of the 48-yard pass interference penalty shows Johnson did initiate the contact, slowing Robinson, but he wasn't even the target on the throw. Mooney was. A chip shot for Santos and it's Browns 13, Bears 6.

• Montgomery with a neat catch and some excellent blocking and they get within the 2 yards of the first down. It's fourth-and-3 but Nagy sends in Santos to try to get them back within a touchdown.

• Fields sacked on second-and-5 after a 5-yard Montgomery run. The seventh sack. Fields sacks himself on that one by slipping 

• Bears got more on that penalty than they had the entire game in yardage. Fields had Mooney wide open on the play and didn't even see him.

• Fields tries to throw deep on a scramble for his first career interception. Penalty on John Johnson for interference. It's just a travesty of a call. 

• Holding on Peters short completion to Kmet when Fields has to throw underhanded.

• A zone read run and Fields is lucky he isn't destroyed on it. Gains one on second down. Third and 9.

• A third-and-10 and Allen Robinson with an excellent catch and run for a first down. 

• Fields waits too long and throws to a covered target.

• First down is a read-option and it ends up as a complete waste. Fields tries to run, then throw and they get an incompletion

• Bears at the 30 to start the next three-and-out.

• Two Chubb runs leave it at third-and-5. Bears defense has not been stout on third down but Quinn and Mario with the sack.

• Fields is playing this game the way he did the first half of the Ohio State-Northwestern game for the Big Ten title. 

• The only way the Bears are getting back into this game is with a turnover. The offense isn't capable of generating anything. In the 11th quarter of the season, still three offensive touchdowns.

• Another three-and-out and Bears punting. Little Webster with a big stick on the punt return.

• Bears miss two sack attempts and Mayfield scrambles into better field goal range. McLaughlin from 41. Browns 13, Bears 3.

• Mack and Quinn combine on a sack. Third-and-30

• On second-and-10 Browns' Bitonio holds on Nichols on a Chubb run.

• OBJ with a toe tapper on the sidelines and beats Jaylon Johnson for a first down at the Bears 15.  Bears have tried to put Johnson on OBJ all over for the most part instead of leaving him at right cornerback.

• Mack nearly has the sack but Mayfield scrambles up the middle for 3.

• Mack is back on the field and Bears stuff first run. 

• In the first half the pass rush was bad but it looked like Fields held the ball too long. On the first drive, he didn't have a chance. The pass blocking totally caved in.

• Fields sacked again, fifth time.

• More up tempo. Didn't work in first half. Fields waits too long on second down and nearly gets pass to Mooney picked.

• Bears will receive the kick.

Halftime

Bears have played the first half with half a team. And even less considering Khalil Mack's foot injury put him on the sideline in the second quarter.

Second Quarter

• Halftime, Bears have been outgained 224 yards to 42.

• Herbert a nice return but a holding penalty on the play.

• Austin Hooper found that small soft spot behind Roquan Smith and in front of Eddie Jackson and finished an 89-yard TD drive.

• Hooper in the middle of the zone for the TD with 19 seconds remaining. Browns 10, Bears 3.

• They get the first down on a run but have to ground it to stop the clock with 23 seconds remaining at the Bears 13.

• Screen to Hunt  for 9. Bears slow to react on that one with Hicks and Mack off the field. Browns use last timeout at the Bears 19. Third-and-1 with 36 seconds left.

• Gipson comes in wide open for the pass rush and bats down Mayfield pass. 

• Hunt 5-yard catch over the middle for first down with 48 seconds left. Browns use second timeout.

• Hooper gets a 6-yarder over the middle in front of Roquan, who has to stand his ground at first due to the play-action threat. Cleveland running game taking a toll in other ways.

• Bears defense so worn down and on its heels that they're forced to call timeout in the two-minute drill by Cleveland, which has all three timeouts and is at the Bears 38

• Vildor beaten for 19 and then Hunt with a big gain to the 45 of Cleveland.  Mayfield finds Hunt for a short pass with no coverage near him and the Browns are inside the Bears 40.

• Mario Edwards shows he can stop the run too, a stop for no gain and it's third-and-5. TWO MINUTE WARNING!!!

• Hicks back and he and Trevis Gipson combine to tackle Chubb after 5-yard run.

• Browns at the 11. Mack has yet to return from foot injury.

• Webster got the tackle and was shoved in the back blatantly on the punt so Cleveland starts deep in a hole.

• Garrett with another sack on third-and-six. That drive died because of the no-huddle approach. Totally dumb. Should have given Fields time to get up there and run a sneak for the first down.

• Germain Ifedi with another false start. Reverting back to his Seattle days now when he used to get one of those each week

• Went no huddle for some reason when their defense is gasping for air on sideline and Fields overthrew target

• The brilliance of Fields and Robinson combine for a 9-yard pass on sideline.

• Montgomery surges ahead 6 yards for the first down right up the middle out of the gun. Sam Mustipher and Cody Whitehair clearing it out.

• Mooney slanting for 9 yards. Fields stood strong and rifled that one.

• Bears offense needs to get the defense some rest.

• Nsimba Webster muffs the punt and it's Caleb Johnson recovery. Bears lucky on that one. 

• Super Mario returns. Edwards with the sack on third down. Bears needed that sack without Mack on the field. Browns punting.

• Incomplete as Mayfield slipped out of two sack attempts. One by Quinn and the other by Jeremiah Attaochu. Officials picked up flag on Attaochu for hitting Mayfield's facemask.

• From the Bears 37, a TFL for Hicks for a loss of 1 and Hicks is shaken up.

• Mayfield throws underneath to Higgins for 7 then Chubb breaks a tackle and gets outside for 13 yards. 

• Hits Higgins for the first down on third down against the zone.  Eddie Jackson a little slow to get there.

• Mack returns to the sideline from the locker room. Don't know status yet.

• Chubb back in and gets 2, then Mayfield throws it away in a panic against the blitz. Left tackle Wills is hurt on the play. He was questionable for the game with an ankle injury.

• Browns have it again after a punt. Fields 1 of 1 for 11 yards, been sacked 3 times.

• Sacked again on third down. He has a thousand-mile stare going on every play. Nagy's offensive play calls don't help here. It looks like he's running Andy Dalton's offense and not the one which would get Fields outside to use his legs or arm. 

• Delayed blitz from the secondary and down goes Fields again. 

• Montgomery only a yard off left tackle. 

• The Bears have played nine quarters and have three offensive touchdowns.

• Defense standing up to the challenge so far but the Bears offense and Fields have to show they can do something beside scramble for a few yards.

• Chase McLaughlin a 57-yard field goal. That's quite a bit better than Cody Parkey. Browns 3, Bears 3

• Another Jaylon Johnson pass breakup, No. 6. Bobbled it or he could have had the pick.

• Hunt runs inside for the first down but right tackle Jack Conklin held.  Was actually the right guard holding Hicks.

• As Mack heads to the locker room, Nichols stuffs Hunt for a 2-yard gain. Third-and-5.

• Mayfield scrambles for the longest 3-yard gain in history. Khalil Mack leaving the field with an injury.

• Hunt makes a move and gets 12 around the right side. The Bears had no problem with Chubbs but now Hunt is giving them all kinds of trouble. 

First Quarter

• OBJ on an end around on the right side for a first down as quarter ends. Bears 3, Browns 0

• Kareem Hunt breaks about three tackles on a 4-yard completion. Should have been a sack first and then a reception for a loss. Then he takes a screen for a first down. Roquan usually quick to react on screens but was froze on that one.

• Vildor and Shelley aren't much in coverage but both of them can tackle. Not sure this is something that's going to allow your defense to stand up to big downs against good teams for very long, though.

• Iggy makes the tackle on the punt but not before Felton puts on a move and gets the Browns out of a deep hole on the return. Browns ball at the 23.

• Montgomery stuffed for a 2-yard loss and Bears are just trying to get back yardage on third down to punt. A completion to Cole Kmet lets them do it.

• Clowney gets one for his side. Sacks Fields or maybe half a sack.

• Gotta wonder why Stefanski felt like he had to go for that. It's early and the chip shot field goal would have tied it.

• Mayfield came in with the highest completion percentage in NFL history for two weeks and so far is being made to look ordinary by the Bears defense.

• Shelley a spectacular open-field tackle at the 19 on Demetric Felton a yard short of first down. Fourth-and-1. And Mack with the sack on bootleg pass.  Bears ball.

• Third-and-inches after an OBJ catch in front of Duke Shelley.

• Back to Chubb for 2  on first down. Browns are sticking with the ground and then play-action. At the 27.

• Donovan Peoples-Jones gets wide open behind Vildor and in front of Eddie Jackson for 22 yards.

• Felton on the boot pass for 12. Caught Jeremiah Attaochu in open field and he couldn't get to Mayfield. False start on Browns' Joel Bitonio, their guard.

• Tonga got a roughing penalty and Kindle Vildor held anyway. No doubt about Tonga landing with all his weight on Mayfield.

• Browns from 25 and Chubb gets a couple. Defensive backs crowding the line.

• Pitch left stuffed and Nagy not gambling today. Kicking a 47-yarder by Cairo Santos. It's his 30th straight field goal.  Bears 3, Browns 0

• Fields slides on a scramble for 7

• Montgomery stuffed for 1 yard on second down.

• Jason Peters and the tight ends and wide receivers seal off the left side for a 13-yard run around the left side by Montgomery to Browns 37.

• Justin Fields time now. 

• Quinn on the sack as Browns gamble and go for it. The Bears blew the coverage but Mayfield didn't have time. Quinn had help inside from Angelo Blackson. That's 3 1/2 sacks for Quinn this year.

• Chubb cuts back and picks up 4. Leaves third-and-5 at 38. Mayfield gets Demetric Felton wide open and overthrows him for an incompletion.

• At the Bears 43, Roquan Smith shoves Chubb OB after 2

• Bears put both Robert Quinn and Khalil Mack on the same side of the line like last week and Mayfield scrambles for the first down. There was defensive holding anyway.

• After a run is stuffed for 2 yards by Chubb, Mayfield a bad overthrow. Third-and-8

• Bears started Khyiris Tonga at nose.

• Steps up to avoid Robert Quinn and finds OBJ for the first down with DHC covering. Poor coverage, had his back to the play.

• Deon Bush great breakup on bootleg pass on long pass to Bryant. First incomplete play-action pass by Mayfield this year. Then overthrows OBJ on second down.

• Bears kick off and Cleveland takes the touchback.

Pregame

Kurt Warner worried about how Justin Fields didn't get rid of the ball with expedience in the preseason.

Inactives

Bears

QB Andy Dalton

WR Breshad Perriman

CB Artie Burns

S Tashaun Gipson

TE Jesper Horsted 

NT Eddie Goldman.

Browns

S Richard LeCounte III

LB Sione Takitaki

DE Ifeadi Odenigbo

G Michael Dunn

T Chris Hubbard

DT Tommy Togia

Ryan Pace on radio trying not to say anything about anything. 

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