The preseason has come to an end for the Chicago Bears and they leave with an undefeated record. The Bears held on to defeat the Cleveland Browns 21-20 to finish the preseason 3-0. Head coach Matt Eberflus had his starters play for most of the first half and they put on a show.
Quarterback Justin Fields was masterful, throwing three touchdowns to account for all of Chicago’s points. He threw passes to tight ends Ryan Griffin and Cole Kmet, as well as wide receiver Dante Pettis. He missed just two passes on the day and showed out at the place where it all went wrong during his regular season debut last year.
The Browns didn’t give up, however, and hit a pair of field goals to trim the lead to 21-6 at the end of the first half. Then things got dicey beginning in the fourth quarter when reserve quarterbacks Joshua Dobbs and Josh Rosen each scored to bring the Browns within one point. Instead of kicking the extra point on the final score, however, the Browns elected to try and take the lead with a two-point conversion that failed.
The offense looked impressive, the defense was stifling, and most important, there were no major injuries as the Bears get ready for the regular season. Here’s everything we know at the conclusion of the preseason.
Final score: Bears 21, Browns 20
Keys to the game
Justin Fields’ confidence: Fields not only played out of his mind during this preseason game, but he played with confidence. He checked down passes when he needed to, but kept his eyes downfield to possibly make a big play and he did just that to put the Bears up 21-0 before he ended his day. You’ll be hard pressed to find many flaws from this performance.
Limited penalties: Disciplined play as been a positive development for the Bears this preseason and that continued on Saturday evening. The Browns beat themselves with numerous penalties, leading to longer downs and unfavorable situations. The Bears, meanwhile, had just five for 48 yards and played a much cleaner game. The discipline from this team is evident and good things happen when you limit the number of flags on the field.
Key pass breakups: The Bears front seven were able to get pressure on the Browns quarterbacks, but it was the secondary who shined the most. The Bears had nine passes defensed, including one interception from Greg Stroman Jr. The defensive backs were flying to the ball and made easy work of the Browns receivers for much of the evening.
It was over when...
After their first drive where they went three-and-out, the Bears put their foot on the gas pedal and didn’t look back. Things really took a turn, however, after the Browns missed a chip shot field goal. The Bears had a short field and made quick work of the Browns to extend their 7-0 lead.
Fields and the Bears drove down field in a hurry in five plays, capping it with a 12-yard strike to wide receiver Dante Pettis for the second passing touchdown of the day. The score put the Bears up 14-0 in the second quarter and the Browns didn’t score until the final minute of the half.
Three stars of the game
*Justin Fields: The starting quarterback was masterful in his tune-up game, going 14-of-16 for 156 yards and three touchdowns with a quarterback rating of 146.9. Fields completed more passes in this game than he attempted in the first two preseason games combined. He was accurate, decisive, and directed traffic well before giving way to Trevor Siemian near halftime.
**Kyler Gordon: The rookie cornerback was a factor in both the run and pas game on Saturday. Gordon had three tackles, but his most impressive play was a diving pass breakup on third down to force a Browns punt. He was flying on the field and showed his athleticism multiple times throughout the first half.
***David Montgomery: After missing the previous two preseason games, Montgomery returned to the field and showed why he’s the starting back in this offense. Montgomery’s stats may not pop, rushing nine times for 28 yards, but he was running hard and had an impressive gain that was called back due to penalty.
What's next
The preseason has ended and the Bears will trim their roster from 80 players to 53 starting next week. They will play again in two weeks to start the regular season at Soldier Field against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, September 11 at noon CT.
