4 Takeaways from Bears’ Week 15 loss to Browns

Some Chicago Bears losses sting more than others. Week 15’s loss to the Cleveland Browns is one of them.

The Bears floundered a 17-7 lead late in the fourth quarter, losing to Joe Flacco and the Browns, 20-17, on a field goal with 30 seconds left in the game.

It was hard to watch.

If I’m being honest, it wasn’t a surprise. If the Bears have proven one thing this season, it’s that they can’t finish games. Leads are never safe, even if they’re of the two-score variety late in games.

Why are the Bears the team that doesn’t have “that guy” who can put the burden of a game on his back and deliver? Why can Joe Flacco, a 38-year-old quarterback who just a few weeks ago was sitting on his couch, step up in the biggest moments and deliver? Why can’t Chicago Bears defenders make a touchdown-saving and potentially game-saving tackle on Amari Cooper in the fourth quarter?

When there are that many whys, changes have to be made.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the Chicago Bears’ Week 15 loss.

Justin Fields’ evaluation just got more confusing.

I don’t know what else to say about Justin Fields at this point. Sure, he had the spectacular touchdown pass early in the game to Cole Kmet (watch it here), but there wasn’t much else from Sunday’s loss that makes you feel great about his ability to be that guy. At least, the arguments in favor of the Bears drafting a quarterback in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft got a lot stronger.

Fields completed 19 of 40 passes for 166 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. The interceptions are a bit unfair, both came at the end of half/game Hail Mary’s. They weren’t his fault.

But the rest of the game … wasn’t great. He looked like an average quarterback who couldn’t handle the chaos the Browns’ defense created.

Sure, the weather was terrible, and it contributed to his poor game. But Flacco threw for 374 yards in the same conditions, including several clutch late-game passes that secured the win for Cleveland.

Here’s my biggest problem regarding Justin Fields: I didn’t have any confidence in his ability to stop the bleeding when the game began to slip away from the Chicago Bears in the fourth quarter. It was the first time I doubted his ability to be what I hoped he’d be when the Bears drafted him in 2021.

Yes, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy called another horrible game. At this point, he’s the first change that should be made, the Bears have to show him the door.

And if Robert Tonyan caught Fields’ perfect would-be touchdown pass, we may be having a different discussion right now.

But great quarterbacks can overcome a weak supporting cast or incompetent play-caller. Maybe not all of the time, but at least sometimes. Fields hasn’t consistently proven he can do that, and it may be time to dig a little deeper into Caleb Williams and Drake Maye.

The Bears defense should be embarrassed.

The NFL is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league. And while the Chicago Bears’ defense has been downright spectacular in recent weeks, their inability to slow down Flacco — who was behind a patchwork offensive line — when it mattered most is just embarrassing.

Ridiculous, really.

What the heck was the secondary doing on Cooper’s touchdown? It was sloppy, and it was the defining moment of the loss:

right down the sideline!!

beauty of a ball from Joe ? pic.twitter.com/GTdUrIcfRb

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 17, 2023

If this was a one-off, an anomaly, a fluke? I’d give the Bears a pass. But it isn’t. The defense choked against the Broncos. They choked against the Lions. And this week, they choked against the Browns.

Head coach Matt Eberflus deserves a lot of the blame for this week’s poor showing. He’s the one in charge of the defense, and for as much praise as he’s received over the last month, games like this make you question whether he’s the long-term answer at head coach.

At least the Chicago Bears have Montez Sweat.

Montez Sweat is a superstar. It’s that simple. And on Sunday, he showed why.

Even on an afternoon that he shared the same field as Myles Garrett, it was Sweat who was the best pass-rusher in the game. He finished with 2.5 sacks and was relentless from the opening kick to the final whistle.

Sweat has a chance to end the 2023 season leading two teams in sacks (he leads the Bears right now, and his six sacks with the Commanders still rank first). No defender has ever led two teams in sacks in one season in NFL history.

If there’s any player capable of doing it, it’s Sweat.

And never forget this beauty from former (emphasis on former) general manager Mike Lombardi:

Montez Sweat. pic.twitter.com/tPy9sl3zBa

— Bryan Perez (@BryanPerezNFL) December 10, 2023

It’s time to hand the running game over to Roschon Johnson

Thank you for your service, D’Onta Foreman.

Thank you for your service, Khalil Herbert.

Welcome to RB1 status, Roschon Johnson.

The Chicago Bears running game was terrible on Sunday, and even though Roschon Johnson wasn’t particularly spectacular, he did enough against a quality Browns’ defense to earn a chance to start the rest of the season.

Johnson finished the game with five carries for 36 yards and four catches for 24 yards.

Foreman looked slow and cooked. He had six carries for -6 yards. Gross.

Herbert was more of his usual self: a change-of-pace RB2. He had six carries for eight yards. Gross.

If the Bears don’t start feeding Roschon Johnson carries, they’ll be staring down an offseason with running back near the top of their needs list.

The rest of the 2023 season is about roster evaluation. And it should start with Johnson as the potential starting running back in 2024.