Bear Digest

Focusing well with Packers looming means a quality Bears report card

Ben Johnson and staff had the Bears entirely concerned with the matter at hand instead of with a Packers rematch, and it shows on their grades from the win over Cleveland.
Gene Chamberlain|
Gervon Dexter makes one of five Bears sacks of Shedeur Sanders on Sunday in a 31-3 win.
Gervon Dexter makes one of five Bears sacks of Shedeur Sanders on Sunday in a 31-3 win. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

In this story:

Chicago Bears

A trap game, was what everyone called it.

The Bears made it look more like trap shooting and the Browns were the clay pigeons. The 31-3 victory over Myles Garrett and Co. typified what happens when a playoff team on a roll, with a coach who has their full attention, runs up against a collapsing target.

"In terms of the game, I thought the guys did a great job coming out and taking care of business," coach Ben Johnson said. "We talked about that here this week.

"You come off a very highly emotional game the week before, and we ended up on the loss side of that one, and the easy thing to do is allow that to spiral out of control, and the guys didn't allow that to happen. They came back to work and handled the process really well.’

It was a game that was won before it even started, and what happened then wasn't all good. Losing Rome Odunze to another pregame warmup injury was the kind of team to rattle any offense. Luther Burden, Colston Loveland and particularly the forgotten DJ Moore all stepped up.

If they couldn't get open, Caleb Williams made them open like he did on the 22-yard touchdown pass to Moore.

The Bears get the grades normally associated with a semitruck's ability to take care of an insect.

They'd love to see a similar-looking report card next week in the rematch against Green Bay.

Running game: A-

Kyle Monangai's 3.0-yard average might be the only negative, but he had a few tougher inside runs to keep the Browns' defensive front off balance. D'Andre Swift's 17-yard touchdown run was a display of both power and vision, and there have been many times in the past when critics questioned his running skills in both areas. The 4.3-yard average was pedestrian by current Bears standards but the line ran up against a Browns defensive front that plenty of playoff teams would like to have.

Passing game: A

Williams led receivers with confidence, made the tough pass look easy and the impossible pass entirely possible. The second TD throw to Moore at the back of the end zone while moving right looked risky as he threw back across the field, but was precisely placed. Garett got his obligatory 1 1/2 sacks and Ozzy Trapilo received more valuable experience trying to prevent more, and both Burden and Colston Loveland received the benefits of Johnson's ability to scheme someone completely open. Williams had only two games this year with higher passing ratings than his 112.5 and one was only higher because of a miracle prayer touchdown on his last throw against Cincinnati. The catch and run resurfaced for the Bears on this day.

Run defense: A+

The 50 yards allowed on the ground was even more impressive considering 24 of them came from Shedeur Sanders' scrambling. If they can continue to produce this kind of run defense, they'll find their pass rush improves, as well. Andrew Billings was a beast inside and T.J. Edwards was back in familiar territory topping their tackles chart.

Pass defense: A+

Not only did they take it away with three interceptions, but they also rushed the quarterback well by containing Sanders and getting him uncomfortable as they collapsed the pocket. They should have had two more takeaways because Sanders' forward motion hadn't come close to stopping when he fumbled on a sack and also Nahshon Wright dropped a pick-6. Jaylon Johnson's interception was textbook for defenders at how to play the ball man to man, as he read the receivers' eyes. Sanders made it easier for the secondary by throwing it 14 times to Harold Fannin and the entire rest of the team 17 times. Fannin would have needed to be Jerry Rice to deserve that much attention.

Special teams: A-

Devin Duvernay's 52-yard kick return set the tone and he also had an 18-yard punt return. Tory Taylor started off the right way by getting a punt downed at the 1. The missed 35-yard field goal by Cairo Santos stood out as possibly the only really bad thing to happen for the Bears, except for a few obligatory false starts. It was pretty difficult kicking with 8-degree temperatures, but it wasn't windy and Lake Forest native Andre Szmyt had no problem with it for Cleveland by making a 50-yarder. Santos did make up for it somewhat with two low kickoffs that hit in the landing zone and bottled up the Browns with touchbacks at the 20. Cleveland's average starting position was the 24 and the Bears' was the 39, largely due to special teams play.

Coaching: A

They didn't need to be better or best, only good on this day, but they were all three anyway. It was Johnson and staff who deserve credit for keeping players focused when it would have been easy to think about the rematch with the Packers. Dennis Allen could do with a bit less blitzing in third-and-long when the ball is backed up in opposing territory. Most coaching staffs couldn't keep everything under control when they lose two key players in warmups two straight weeks but this staff did. Johnson utilized some interesting techniques for future opponents to consider, like two tight ends in the backfield lined up on either side of the tailback.

Overall: A

Johnson said they would be playing their best football in December and on this day he was right. It needs to continue because nothing is guaranteed for postseason yet in a very difficult NFC race.

More Chicago Bears News

Sign Up For the Bears Daily Digest - OnSI’s Free Chicago Bears Newsletter

X: BearsOnSI

Published
Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.