Browns vs. Bears Preview and Prediction
Four games to go. Two at home for the Browns as the Bears come to town in Week 15
At 8-5, Cleveland has a little bit of wiggle room in its quest for a playoff berth but a win this weekend would put it at the doorstep of the postseason.
The Bears are no slouch despite their 5-8 record as their defense has been playing some really good football of late. On top of that, the Browns have spoken all week about the challenge that QB Justin Fields presents.
Cleveland is clearly taking the right approach to this game. Will it result in a win? Our team decides.
Anthony Moeglin: Browns 16, Bears 10
This one is going to be an ugly, old-school style football game on Sunday. The weather is going to be bad and neither team is going to be able to get it going on offense. The Bears' defense is great and Sunday could be a regression game for Joe Flacco who has had two really good starts to this point. However, the Browns know how to win in these types of games. I believe that Cleveland will have a late 13-10 lead and then a long drive ending in a Dustin Hopkins field goal seperates the Browns. Nine-and-five heading into the final three games is a good place to be!
Anthony Poisal: Browns 23, Bears 20
After such a strong performance last week, Sunday might carry trap game vibes for the Browns — the Bears (5-8) are on a two-game win streak and are playing their best football of the season after defeating the Lions last week. If the Browns were on the road, I'd pick the Bears. But the Browns are at home, where they've been nothing but excellent on defense and have always seemed to squeeze every last drop of production out of the offense to win games.
Brendan Gulick: Browns 27, Bears 16
Somehow the Browns keep finding ways to win despite the injuries piling up. They do it again this week to improve to 9-5.
Spencer German: Browns 20 Bears 17
This game is hardly the cakewalk it may have seemed to be around the midway point of the season. The Bears boast one of the best run defenses in football. They're also opportunistic, ranking just outside the top 10 in takeaways, and second in interceptions. A lot of that has come over the last couple weeks as they're playing really good football defensively right now. Meanwhile, Justin Fields is dangerous and given the Browns struggles this year with dual threat QBs - four of Cleveland's worst five games in terms of rushing yards allowed came with quarterbacks who used their legs. Still, Flacco has brought a calming, steady presence to the offense in recent weeks as Chicago lost it's sack leader Yannick Ngakoue for the rest of the season. Sensing this game comes down to the wire with Dustin Hopkins delivering another win for the Browns late.
