Bears dominate Cleveland, vault atop the NFC North standings

Bears head coach Ben Johnson wanted to send a clear message after last week’s loss to Green Bay at Lambeau Field.

Even though the Packers loomed again in less than two weeks for a rematch in Chicago, Johnson set his intention right after the defeat.

“We’ve got another good opponent coming in in Cleveland,” Johnson said at the time. “I don’t care what their record says. They’ve got a damn good defense.”

A week later, the Bears showed they got the message.

Chicago took care of business and played its best game of the season against an inferior Cleveland Browns team Sunday at Soldier Field. All three phases played dominant football in a 31-3 win, the Bears’ biggest margin of victory since December of 2020.

“It sets a precedent that we need to go out there and work and earn this win, not just go out there and just play because of their record,” Bears wide receiver DJ Moore said after the win. “But just because they are a good team and a top-three defense. We had to go out there and do our thing.”

The Bears did their thing by fixing mistakes that had stopped them from putting away teams earlier this season.

After going three-and-out on its opening possession, Chicago’s offense came alive on its following two drives. The Bears took advantage of favorable field position and strong blocking by their offensive line to move the ball 42 yards on six plays to take an early lead when running back D’Andre Swift scored on a 6-yard drive.

Quarterback Caleb Williams continued his strong start to the game when he completed back-to-back passes to rookies Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III for 64 yards. Williams then found Moore for a 3-yard touchdown pass toward the back of the end zone to make it 14-0 with just over a minute left in the first quarter.

Chicago’s offense had been a tale of two halves, even in dramatic wins. Williams and the offense failed to gain momentum in the first half, which usually forced a comeback in the second half. The Bears valued building an early lead against a top-rated defense that included league sacks leader Myles Garrett.

“We knew we had to start fast,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “Especially with the elements and, quite frankly, with where they were at in the season. So we knew if we did what we had to do early on the game, we could put them away later.”

Williams himself rebounded with one of his best performances since a Week 3 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

His 242 passing yards, two touchdown passes and 60.7% completion rate were hardly any of his season-bests. But Williams looked comfortable throwing the ball despite a game-time temperature of 8 degrees and the absence of top wide receiver Rome Odunze.

Williams spent the afternoon leading his receivers to yards after catches. He also made incredible throws like his second touchdown pass to Moore in the third quarter that somehow went through three Browns defenders in the back of the end zone.

“I thought he did a good job of finding some open guys and it did feel like we had a little more run after catch here this week than we’ve had maybe over the past few weeks,” Johnson said. “Usually that’s a good sign.”

While the Bears offense worked things out Sunday, the defense continued to play to its potential with as much health as it’s had this season. With an early two-score lead, that made things even easier.

Chicago eliminated Cleveland’s running attack and forced Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders into mistakes that derailed the offense. Cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and C.J. Gardner-Johnson and linebacker D’Marco Jackson each intercepted Sanders and the Bears sacked him five times.

Cleveland’s offense finished the game with nine first downs and 192 total yards of offense, the fewest the Bears have allowed this year.

“I can’t say enough good things about our defense,” Ben Johnson said. “This was really an outstanding performance.”

The Bears secured their first 10-win season since 2018 when they won 12 games. Chicago hadn’t won more than eight games since 2020.

The win also allowed the Bears to move on and look forward to Saturday’s game against the Packers, who lost Sunday at Denver. The Bears not only want to avenge their Week 14 loss, but they also want to move up in the NFC playoff standings and solidify their position atop the NFC North.

“I’m definitely excited,” Williams said. “I’m excited for the moment. They’re coming here and it’s another game for us, but I’m excited.”