Tag: Chicago Bears vs. Cleveland Browns

Bears PFF grades: Best and worst performers in Week 3 loss vs. Browns

We’re analyzing the highest- and lowest-graded Bears players on offense and defense from Chicago’s Week 3 loss.

The Chicago Bears lost another brutal outing on the road against the Cleveland Browns, where Chicago’s offense was historically bad. Rookie quarterback Justin Fields’ debut was a disaster, thanks to Matt Nagy’s poor game plan and a lack of offensive line protection.

Pro Football Focus handed out player grades for those who took a snap in the Bears’ loss, and we broke them down by offense and defense, analyzing the three highest- and lowest-graded players on each side.

There were a few surprises in terms of the highest- and lowest-graded players, both on offense and defense.

13 crazy stats from Bears’ Week 3 loss to Browns

The Bears offense was historically bad against the Browns, which made for some pretty crazy stats from Week 3.

The Chicago Bears mustered an historically awful offensive performance in a 26-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns, where they totaled just 47 yards.

Rookie quarterback Justin Fields’ first NFL start was a disaster, where he was put in an overall terrible position by his head coach and play caller Matt Nagy, which led to nine sacks where Fields never stood a chance.

Here are 13 crazy stats from the Bears’ loss to the Browns in Week 3.

Myles Garrett said Bears made it too easy for Browns to get after Justin Fields

If this statement from Browns DE Myles Garrett isn’t an indictment on Bears HC Matt Nagy, then I don’t know what is.

Rookie Justin Fields made his first NFL start against the Browns, where Fields was introduced to the brutal reality of what it means to be a quarterback on the Bears.

Fields’ debut was ugly from start to finish. And while Fields wasn’t devoid of all blame, which included holding onto the ball for too long and missing some timing throws, most of it falls squarely on the shoulders of his head coach and offensive play caller Matt Nagy, who set Fields up to fail from the start.

Fields was sacked nine — that’s right, nine — times by the Browns, including 4.5 by Myles Garrett, who set a team record.

It was an absolute brutal offensive game from start to finish, the onus of which falls on Nagy, who is coming under fire Monday morning following his usage of Fields in his first NFL start.

If this statement from Garrett, via Mike Florio, isn’t an indictment on Nagy, then I don’t know what is.

“He told me that the Browns’ defense was surprised by the way that Justin Fields was used, or more accurately, the way he wasn’t used. They didn’t move him around, they didn’t get him out of the pocket, they didn’t roll him out, they didn’t take advantage of his mobility. It made it easier for the defensive lineman to get home, to get him onto the ground, and we saw Garrett do it 4.5 times, a team record.”

Whether it was Nick Foles being captured telling Andy Dalton on Sunday that “the offense isn’t working” or Garrett’s comments, it’s clear that Nagy just isn’t the right man for the job.

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5 takeaways from Bears’ jarring 26-6 loss to the Browns

The Bears had the worst offensive performance we’ve seen since the turn of the century. But that’s just the start. Here are our takeaways.

The Justin Fields era began with a massive thud on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Hype and excitement quickly turned to anger and pain faster than it took Myles Garrett to bulldoze through Jason Peters. The Bears netted just 47 yards of offense in a brutal 26-6 loss against the Browns to drop them to 1-2 on the season.

To sum it up nice and quick, the offense was nonexistent, the defense held on for as long as they could, and the coaching staff failed to properly give Fields a fighting chance to succeed.

All in all, it was arguably the worst offensive performance we’ve seen since the turn of the century. But that’s just the start. Here are my takeaways from Sunday’s loss in Cleveland.

Even Bears players know Matt Nagy’s offense is broken

Nick Foles was seen chatting with Andy Dalton on the Bears sideline, where Foles appeared to mouth, “This offense isn’t working.”

Matt Nagy is coming under fire following the Bears’ abysmal offensive outing in Sunday’s loss to the Browns, and rightfully so.

Chicago’s offense was historically bad in Cleveland, where they mustered only 47 yards of offense, which was their worst output in 40 years. The Bears totaled just 24 yards in a 23-7 loss to the Lions back on Nov. 22, 1981.

Keep in mind, Nagy promised that it would take four years to really see this offense come to fruition. Well, we’re three games into Year 4 and the offense has actually gotten worse with each passing season.

This isn’t brand new information for Bears fans or media that have watched every snap over the last three-plus years. But now, the players are starting to realize that Nagy’s offense just isn’t working.

Cameras captured current backup quarterback Nick Foles and an injured Andy Dalton chatting on the sideline while Chicago’s offense floundered on the field before them, and Foles stated the obvious.

“This offense just isn’t working,” Foles appears to mouth, as Dalton mutters something behind his covered mouth.

This isn’t the first time Foles has called out Nagy. Last season, ESPN analyst Brian Griese spoke with Foles before Chicago’s Monday night game against the Rams, where Griese detailed a conversation that involved Foles telling him how Nagy would send in a play call that Foles already knew wasn’t going to work because he wouldn’t have enough time after the ball was snapped.

“We were talking to Nick Foles yesterday, [and] he said, ‘You know, sometimes play calls come in and I know that I don’t have time to execute that play call. You know, I’m the one out here getting hit. Sometimes the guy calling the plays, Matt Nagy, he doesn’t know how much time there is back here,’” Griese said. “So that’s something that they have to get worked out.”

The Bears offense has been broken for some time, and rookie quarterback Justin Fields’ poor debut against the Browns shined a light on the bigger problem, which has always been Nagy.

Fans know it. Players know it. Now the question is, will the front office ever acknowledge it and act upon it?

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Bear Necessities: The Morning After…the Bears’ Week 3 loss vs. Browns

We’re reacting to the Bears’ Week 3 loss vs. Browns and the Matt Nagy of it all.

This is our online morning newsletter, Bear Necessities. Subscribe to get the latest Bears news delivered to your mailbox every day.

The Chicago Bears offense had an embarrassing outing in a 26-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns, which left many fans fed up with Matt Nagy’s play calling as Chicago fell to 1-2.

Despite giving up 26 points to the Browns, the Bears defense was solid, particularly getting after quarterback Baker Mayfield. Outside linebackers Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn combined for 3.5 sacks on the afternoon. But the story was Chicago’s putrid offense.

There was plenty to digest from Sunday’s game. Our Bears Wire staff is sharing their immediate reactions to Chicago’s loss against Cleveland.

Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn revived Bears’ pass rush vs. Browns

Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn were a force to be reckoned with against the Browns, which is why they’re Bears Wire’s Players of the Game.

The Chicago Bears defense spent most of Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns on the field, with Chicago’s offense unable to gain yards yet alone sustain drives. But despite the extended action on the field, the Bears’ top edge rushers were dominant.

Our Bears players of the game are edge rushers Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn, who combined for 3.5 sacks against the Browns. This was the kind of performance fans had been waiting for since last offseason when Chicago added Quinn, who was coming off a 10.5-sack season with the Dallas Cowboys.

Mack led the Bears with 2.0 sacks and Quinn wasn’t far behind with 1.5. Mack and Quinn have combined for 6.0 sacks through the first three games.

Quinn has now recorded at least 0.5 sack in his third straight game this season, and he currently leads the Bears with 4.0 sacks through three games. Mack, who had 9.0 sacks last season, already has 3.0 sacks through the first three weeks.

New defensive coordinator Sean Desai has had Mack and Quinn rushing side-by-side on obvious passing downs, as opposed to lining up on opposite ends of the line last season.

“It seems to give offenses a headache,” Quinn said. “Who are they going to double-team? … So I think it’s just a nice little change up every now and again to give the offense some problems. But we gotta make sure it’s effective and make sure it can affect the game in a good way.”

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Matt Nagy on Bears offense’s embarrassing outing: ‘You almost can’t even make it up. It’s that bad.’

The Bears weren’t just bad against the Browns, they were historically bad.

The Chicago Bears offense turned in an absolute embarrassing performance in a 26-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns, which has many fans calling for Matt Nagy’s head following his play calling.

Considering the Bears have had some pretty brutal offensive showings in franchise history — especially in the Nagy era — just how bad did this one rank compared to others?

The Bears weren’t just bad, they were historically bad. As in, they only mustered 47 yards of offense, which was their worst outing in 40 years.

That’s right, 40 years.

Chicago totaled just 24 yards in a 23-7 loss to the Detroit Lions on Nov. 22, 1981, which featured quarterbacks Vince Evans and Bob Avellini.

But wait, it gets better.

The Bears averaged 1.1 yards per play against the Browns, the second-fewest by any team in a game this century.

“You almost can’t even make it up,” Nagy said. “It’s that bad.”

Nagy did nothing to help his young rookie quarterback Justin Fields in his first NFL start. Fields’ official debut was ugly, as he was sacked nine times, held onto the ball too long at times and never got an opportunity to establish any rhythm.

Sure, a part of that was due to Cleveland’s ferocious pass rush (including Myles Garrett and his career-high 4.5 sacks) and Chicago’s battered offensive line, which was overpowered all game.

But Nagy did nothing to adjust following a rough first half, and things got even uglier in the second half. The fact that the Bears’ best offensive play was a pass interference call, which set Chicago up in the red zone for the first and only time in the game, says it all.

Nagy did his typical “it starts with me” spiel following the game. But words aren’t enough. Not when the Bears offense continues to get worse with each passing year with Nagy in charge.

The Bears have never fired a head coach mid-season before. But that could — and honestly should — change this season.

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Studs and duds from Bears’ blowout loss to Browns

The Bears played a football game on Sunday. That’s as nicely as we can put it. Here are a few studs and many duds from their Week 3 loss.

The Chicago Bears physically showed up to Cleveland and played a football game on Sunday. That’s about as nicely as I can put it after watching arguably the worst offensive performance this millennium in the Bears’ 26-6 loss against the Browns.

Offensively, it was a disgraceful effort from nearly everyone involved as they failed to properly plan and execute the gameplan against a very good Browns defense. On the other side of the ball, the Bears did their best on defense to contain the Browns offense while getting no support. But being on the field too long, they eventually broke, allowing the Browns to move the ball with ease.

There weren’t a lot of standout individual performances in this one, but we managed to find some. Here are the few studs and many duds from this week’s debacle.

Bears fans are fed up with Matt Nagy following embarrassing offensive showing vs. Browns

The Bears offense was historically bad in a brutal loss to the Browns, and fans are calling out Matt Nagy for his play calling.

The Chicago Bears offense was historically bad in a 26-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, where they totaled just 47 yards of offense, which was the fewest yards in 40 years.

It didn’t help that it was also rookie quarterback Justin Fields’ first NFL start, where it was difficult to evaluate him based on a struggling offensive line, lack of separation from receivers and offensive play caller Matt Nagy not helping him in the slightest.

Nagy was brought in to fix the Bears offense. Instead, it looked the worst it has in four decades — and that’s in Nagy’s fourth season running the show.

As you can imagine, Bears fans have seen enough over the last four years with Nagy as play caller. But with Fields getting his first NFL start and not getting a chance due to Nagy’s play calling, fans are angry. And it’s clear the offense won’t be fixed until it’s Nagy getting the axe.