The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Cleveland Browns vs. Chicago Bears Recap
The Browns improved to a 2-1 record on Sunday with a big victory over the Chicago Bears.
Here's the good, the bad, and the ugly of that game.
The Good: The Defense
Browns fans that were willing to drive defensive coordinator Joe Woods to Cleveland Hopkins Airport to get him out of town have certainly calmed, as Cleveland held Chicago to just six points.
It was a miserable day for Justin Fields. The Browns had nine sacks, with 4.5 coming from Myles Garrett. Fans will remember the "Myles Garrett" chants when they think back on this game. They held Fields to just one singular net passing yard and only six completions. He had a QBR of 5.8.
Sure, this defensive success came against a rookie quarterback. But this is how good the Browns defense can become with time.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah looked like one of the best linebackers in the league in just his third NFL game. Up front, Jadeveon Clowney looked like the dream counterpart to Garrett. The next step for the Browns defensively is to create some turnovers.
The Good: Kareem Hunt
Put me on record saying that Sunday was Hunt's best performance in a Cleveland Browns uniform.
On just 10 rushing attempts, Hunt ran for 81 yards and a touchdown. He also caught six passes for 74 yards, just three shy of Odell Beckham Jr.'s team-leading number. Beckham, by the way, probably played his second-best game in Cleveland besides the explosion in Dallas last season.
On a day where Nick Chubb wasn't his best (84 yards on 22 carries was still plenty to get the job done) it was the aggressive running by Hunt that made the offense move.
The Bad: The Bears
I can't think of a nice way to put this. The Bears stink.
Justin Fields is an Ohio State guy, and I want to see him succeed, but Matt Nagy seems beyond confused with how to handle this situation.
Chicago's offensive line is a disaster, and the remains of Jason Peters was not getting the job done on Sunday. They didn't even give Fields an opportunity to look up and get rid of the football. There was just no chance of getting down field.
Chicago has a lot of work to do and a lot of things to figure out, one of which might be the main man on the sideline.
The Ugly: Offensive Line
This is a little unfair, as the Browns were able to run for 165 yards and a touchdown.
However, Baker Mayfield was sacked five times on Sunday, and nine times this entire year. It's a situation that bares monitoring.
Left tackle Jedrick Wills has been plagued by injury all season and he just doesn't seem like himself. Joel Bitonio was flagged twice, and Jack Conklin was once.
For a unit that is often accepted as the best in the NFL, there's definitely room for improvement from the offensive line before the Browns head to Minnesota to face the Vikings.
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