The Chicago Bears and the Cleveland Browns will each look to get their second win of the season when they meet this Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium. Check out our preview of this game below for more about this Bears-Browns showdown.
Chicago’s 20-17 home win over the Cincinnati Bengals might be remembered for being the start of the Justin Fields era in Windy City. Fields stepped in for Andy Dalton after the latter left the game in the second period with a lower-body injury. It’s currently unknown how bad Dalton’s knee injury is and whether he will be available to play in Week 3, but for now, it’s fair to assume that it’s going to be Fields who will be out there taking snaps in Cleveland. Fields didn’t show much against Cincy, passing for just 60 yards, and was intercepted on 6/13 touchdown-less completions. But the Browns’ shaky defense offers hope that Fields (or Dalton) can find rhythm in Week 3. Speaking of which, Chicago’s stop unit mauled the Bengals’ attack with four sacks and three interceptions. The Bears also held Cincinnati down to just 69 rushing yards. The Bears’ D will be a huge threat to the Browns’ run-heavy offense and to Baker Mayfield, who might not have both of his top two receivers this coming weekend.
The over is 4-1 in the Bears’ last five road games.
The Browns rebounded from a gut-wrenching loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 by upending the Houston Texans at home last Sunday, 31-21. The defense isn’t quite there yet for Cleveland, but it could just be a matter of time before the Browns figure it all out on that side of the field. Until then, the Browns’ offense will have to keep generating points the way they have been doing so far. The Browns’ run game has simply been unstoppable. The tandem of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt is as dependable as they come. Chicago’s defense offers a sturdy resistance, but it can break against arguably the best 1-2 running back tandem in the NFL today. The Browns might also not have Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. in Week 3 due to injuries, but Mayfield still has the likes of Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Anthony Schwartz, and Demetric Felton to lean on downfield.
The Browns are 3-1 against the spread in their last four games overall.
