Category: Latest Bears News

Everything we know heading into Bears’ Week 3 game vs. Browns

Here’s a rundown of what we know heading into the Bears’ Week 3 game against the Browns.

The Chicago Bears will battle the Cleveland Browns, where rookie quarterback Justin Fields will make his first NFL start.

The Bears are coming off a 20-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, where Chicago’s defense forced four turnovers in the victory. While Fields had some expected rookie mistakes replacing Andy Dalton in his first significant action, Fields got an entire week of preparing as the starter and should fare better.

Here’s a rundown of what we know heading into Sunday’s game against the Browns:

Bears aren’t ruling out potential return for Andy Dalton in Week 4

While Andy Dalton is week-to-week with a bone bruise in his knee, a potential return in Week 4 isn’t off the table for the Bears.

Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields will make his first NFL start Sunday against the Browns with starter Andy Dalton sidelined with a bone bruise in his knee.

Dalton has been deemed “week-to-week” by Bears head coach Matt Nagy, which is on track with the typical prognosis of most bone bruises.

But according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Bears believe Dalton’s absence with a knee injury should be short, which explains why he wasn’t placed on injured reserve. If the team believed Dalton would be out longer than two games, IR would make sense for a three-game absence.

Fowler went on to say that the Bears aren’t ruling out a potential return next week for Dalton. Although, Fields will certainly have plenty to say about that as he makes his first start.

Earlier this week, Nagy made it clear that Dalton is the team’s starter when he’s healthy. But that’s what he’s supposed to say in the moment. If Fields goes out there and lights it against the Browns and against the Lions next week, you can’t go back to Dalton.

Sure, it’s terrible for players to lose starting jobs due to injury. But that’s the nature of the business. And Dalton was always a placeholder at QB until Fields was ready.

If Fields proves he’s ready, even Nagy can’t go back to Dalton. Healthy or not.

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Chicago Bears vs. Cleveland Browns preview: Who has the advantage in Week 3?

We went deep into the Bears-Browns matchup with Browns Wire to determine who has the advantage at the five key factors.

The Chicago Bears (1-1) will face the Cleveland Browns (1-1) on Sunday, where Chicago will be looking for their second straight win. It will also mark rookie quarterback Justin Fields’ first NFL start following injury to Andy Dalton.

When it comes to determining who wins football games, there are a number of factors that contribute to a victory. Solid quarterback play, winning the line of scrimmage, protecting the football and taking it away, controlling important situations and overcoming or taking advantage of an injury situation.

In our weekly preview series, Alyssa Barbieri from Bears Wire and Jared Mueller from Browns Wire went deep into the matchup to determine who has the advantage at the five key factors for winning football games in the NFL.

Bears vs. Browns: 5 things to watch in Week 3 matchup

From Justin Fields’ first NFL start to Matt Nagy’s game plan, here are five things to watch in the Bears’ Week 3 matchup vs. Browns.

The Chicago Bears will face the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, where they’ll be looking for their second straight win as rookie quarterback Justin Fields gears up for his first NFL start.

From Justin Fields’ first NFL start to Matt Nagy’s game plan, here are five things to watch in the Bears’ Week 3 matchup — and a final prediction!

Bears NT Eddie Goldman downgraded to out vs. Browns

The arrow remains pointed down on Bears NT Eddie Goldman, who was downgraded to out vs. Browns.

The arrow remains pointed down on Bears nose tackle Eddie Goldman, who was downgraded to out for Sunday’s game against the Browns.

Goldman was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday before missing practice Friday. Matt Nagy had listed Goldman as day-to-day for the last three weeks with a knee injury he sustained ahead of their Week 1 game.

Goldman was listed as questionable and a game-time decision following Friday, but he clearly suffered a setback after he didn’t travel with the team to Cleveland.

The Bears activated defensive tackle Margus Hunt from the practice squad.

The Bears defense faces a tough challenge against a Browns rushing attack that’s averaging 154 yards per game with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Things will be a little more difficult without Goldman, but Chicago has the fifth-best rushing defense in the league, allowing 71.5 yards per game — and that’s without Goldman.

The only other significant injury figures to be safety Tashaun Gipson, who is listed as doubtful after suffering a hamstring injury during practice this week.

 


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It sounds like Matt Nagy finally realizes importance of getting Justin Fields first-team reps

Bears rookie QB Justin Fields got a full week of reps with the starters, and Matt Nagy finally recognizes the benefit.

The decision about when to start Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields has been a point of contention between Matt Nagy and Bears fans and media alike since training camp.

But with Andy Dalton sidelined a couple of weeks with a bone bruise in his knee, there’s no more arguments to be made for or against. With Fields being the backup, he’ll now make his first NFL start against the Browns on Sunday.

Fields relieved Dalton last week before halftime, where he played for the remainder of the game. Aside from some rookie mistakes, there were also some miscommunication and timing issues between Fields and the starters, which could be attributed to Fields’ lack of reps with the first-team offense during training camp and preseason.

With Dalton declared out on Wednesday, Fields had a full week of practice as the starter, which should go a long way in fixing some of those mistakes. Nagy told reporters that the team is seeing new things from Fields now that he’s getting those first-team reps.

“This week, with him getting all the reps in practice,” Nagy said, “there’s things that we’re seeing that maybe we didn’t see in the first two weeks because he wasn’t getting those one reps.”

This from the guy that was directly responsible for Fields not getting reps with the starters in training camp and preseason. It’s almost as if reps with the players that will make the active roster actually helps develop chemistry.

You can’t make this stuff up.

Nagy has been insistent that Dalton was the starter from Day 1, which explains him getting all of the starters reps. But the expectation was that Fields, who everyone knew would take over at some point this season, would get some reps with the first-team offense.

While Nagy has reiterated that Dalton will be the starter when healthy, that statement kind of came with an asterisk. If Fields struggles in relief of Dalton, the Bears go back to Dalton and let Fields continue developing. But if Fields impresses, like we all assume he will, it’s an easy out for Nagy to continue to ride with the rookie.

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5 bolder predictions for Bears’ Week 3 contest vs. Browns

From Justin Fields’ big day to a strong showing by the Bears run defense, here are our bolder predictions for the Bears-Browns game.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for a Week 3 matchup against the Cleveland Browns, where they’ll be looking for their 10th straight win against an AFC opponent.

While Cleveland presents as a challenging opponent, there are areas of weakness to be exploited. And if Chicago can rise to the occasion on offense, defense and special teams, perhaps they might be able to sneak out a win.

We already took a stab at some bold predictions. Now, we’re going bolder.

Here are five bolder predictions heading into the Bears’ Week 3 matchup.

Here’s the broadcast map for Bears vs. Browns in Week 3

The Bears will face the Browns in Week 3. See if the Bears be on in your part of the country.

The Chicago Bears will battle the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, where rookie quarterback Justin Fields will make his first NFL start.

The Bears are coming off a 20-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, where Chicago’s defense amassed four takeaways en route to their first win of the season. The Bears offense only scored one touchdown in the win, and all eyes will be on them as Fields gets a full week of preparation as the starter and with a game plan in place.

Will the Bears be on in your part of the country?

If you live in the red area of the map, you’ll be able to watch Bears-Browns locally at Noon CT on FOX (via 506sports.com).

Most of the country will get the Bears-Browns game. Others will get the Saints-Patriots (green), Washington-Bills (yellow), Falcons-Giants (blue) and Cardinals-Jaguars (orange) as part of the early slate of FOX games.

Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen will be on the Bears-Browns call for FOX.

The Bears and Browns kick things off Sunday at Noon on FOX.

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Here’s what Bears coaches, players have said about Justin Fields ahead of first NFL start

Justin Fields’ coaches and teammates have praised the Bears’ rookie quarterback for his confidence, poise and playmaking ability.

Justin Fields is gearing up for his first NFL start when the Bears travel to Cleveland to face the Browns on Sunday, where Chicago will be looking to make it 10 straight wins against the AFC North.

With Andy Dalton sidelined with a bone bruise in his knee, Fields gets a chance to make a strong case for why he should become the permanent starter. Listening to what Fields’ teammates and coaches have said about the rookie heading into Sunday’s game, it’s hard to ignore the respect they have for Fields.

Here’s what Fields’ coaches and teammates have said about him ahead of his first start:

Bears vs. Browns predictions: Can Chicago pull off the upset in Justin Fields’ first NFL start?

Will the Bears pull off the upset in Justin Fields’ first NFL start? Our Bears Wire staff shares their predictions for Sunday’s game.

The Chicago Bears (1-1) will battle the Cleveland Browns (1-1) on Sunday, where rookie quarterback Justin Fields will be making his first NFL start.

Last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bears defense amassed four takeaways, and they’ll be looking to contend with a talented Browns offense. With Fields getting the start, look for an offense more tailored around his skillset, where there are chances to beat this Browns defense, which has looked shaky in the first couple of games.

Will Chicago pull off the upset in Justin Fields’ first NFL start? Our Bears Wire staff shares their predictions for Sunday’s game.