Bears vs. Browns game recap: Everything we know about Chicago’s Week 3 loss

The Chicago Bears offense fell flat in Justin Fields’ NFL debut. It was an ugly game from start to finish, with so much pressure being put on their defense to keep them in the game. There was only so much the defense could do before giving up 13 points in the fourth quarter.

Last week, we were treated to the Bears’ first win of the season. After today’s performance on offense, there might not be many more wins this season.

Final Score: Browns 26, Bears 6

AP Photo/David Richard

Keys to the game

AP Foto/David Dermer

Matt Nagy's play-calling: Matt Nagy's play-calling and decision-making have hurt the Bears' offense. It doesn't matter who is under center, Nagy doesn't call plays to the quarterback's skill set. He's too stubborn and his decision-making lacks that of an elite NFL head coach. The decision of the game that was missed was kicking a field goal inside the 15-yard line down 13-3. Defensive pass-rush success: The Bears' defense had back-to-back solid weeks. The pash-rush was successful, keeping Baker Mayfield uncomfortable all day. Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn both got to Mayfield multiple times, combining for 3.5 sacks on the day. Justin Fields' NFL debut: The debut of Justin Fields was supposed to mark a new "era" in Chicago and a new chapter in Matt Nagy's coaching career. Not much has changed, with the offense continuing to struggle and Fields being handcuffed by Nagy's play-calling. It was an ugly debut and there's a lot of work to be done on offense before they'll find any success.

It was over when...

Sep 26, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt (27) runs for a Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Though it felt like the Bears were out of this game before halftime, the game was finally over when Browns running back Kareem Hunt rushed for a 29-yard touchdown through Chicago's defense. There were three missed tackles on Hunt's touchdown run. That touchdown gave Cleveland a 20-6 lead. The Bears' defense could only hold the Browns for so long. The offense played poorly and gave them no chance to even keep them in the game. The defense bent but didn't break until Hunt's touchdown run. Hopefully, the offense can improve against the Lions next week and give the Bears' defense a little bit of a break. There's only so much a defense can do to win football games, especially when they're on the field for most of the game.

3 Stars of the Game

AP Photo/David Dermer

***OLB Robert Quinn: Robert Quinn has turned things around so far this season. He continued his improved season by sacking Baker Mayfield 1.5 times, along with two solo tackles. **OLB Khalil Mack: Khalil Mack looked as good as he did last week. Mack had two sacks and two tackles on Sunday. He was in pursuit of Baker Mayfield all the same way he was in pursuit of Joe Borrow last week. *ILB Roquan Smith: Just like last week, Roquan Smith was the best player on defense. Though he didn't create any turnovers this week, Smith still had 10 combined tackles, which led the entire team.

What's next

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Bears will travel back home to Chicago to host the Lions next Sunday at Noon CT.

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