Studs and duds from Bears’ blowout loss to Browns

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.

STUD: EDGE Robert Quinn

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The Bears defense did about as well as they could given the circumstances on Sunday, in large part due to the play of Robert Quinn. The veteran edge rusher continued his resurgence this season with yet another impressive performance. He had 1.5 sacks and a tackle for loss against the Browns. He also tallied 2 QB hits as well, adding to his early-season success. Quinn now has 4 sacks on the season and is showing an explosiveness we haven't seen since 2019.

DUD: HC Matt Nagy

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Fans were asking if Matt Nagy purposely sabotaged the gameplan this week to ensure Justin Fields would remain the backup when Andy Dalton returns from injury. It's obviously not true, but considering how the offense looked and the plays that were called, it's a valid question, even if it's said in jest. Nagy was too conservative yet again at multiple times, didn't give his young quarterback a chance to succeed when it was clear the offensive line couldn't hold up, and just didn't seem prepared for an elite defense. It was one of the worst showings from a coach I've seen in a long time and it could be the beginning of the end for him.

STUD: Khalil Mack

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Like Quinn, Khalil Mack is on fire lately. He added a couple more sacks on the day to bring his season total to 3. He was too much of a match for the Browns tackles and showed he isn't slowing down. He and Quinn are finally proving how valuable they can be when going after the quarterback. It's just too bad their efforts were wasted with an offense that barely crossed midfield the entire day.

DUD: OT Jason Peters

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Last week, tackle Jason Peters looked like he found the fountain of youth, pushing over players and keeping his quarterback upright for the most part. He earned high grades and seemed to have finally answered the question about the left tackle position. All of that went away in an instant against the Browns, though. Peters was humiliated by Cleveland's defensive line, particularly against Myles Garrett, getting pushed around on multiple occasions. He looked every bit of 39 years old and you have to wonder how he's going to hold up against above-average defenses going forward.

STUD: K Cairo Santos

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The form of offense the Bears got on Sunday was from kicker Cairo Santos, who had as many yards on one field goal (47) as the offense had for the entire game. Santos once again went 2/2 on field-goal attempts, proving to be the only reliable player to score points. The Bears showed yet again they solved their kicker position, but it came at the expense of the rest of the offense, apparently.

DUD: QB Justin Fields

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The embarrassing offensive output wasn't all on Fields, as the head coach and offensive line let him down. But he couldn't elevate the unit and make plays when they were needed the most. Quite frankly, he wasn't good in his debut. Fields was 6-for-20 for 68 yards and seemed outmatched against a very good Browns defense. There will be better days ahead for No. 1 but today was a humbling reminder that rookie quarterbacks do need time to develop.

DUD: RT Germain Ifedi

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If Peters was bad, Ifedi was probably worse. The right tackle had his own issues all game long, struggling with not only protecting Fields, but with penalties as well. Ifedi had players run right by him, taking down Fields with ease. He looked lost for much of the day and couldn't stop anyone he lined up against. Both tackles were brutal, but Ifedi takes the cake in this one.

DUD: S Eddie Jackson

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Just when we think Eddie Jackson has figured it out, he goes and lets everyone down again. After a solid outing in Week 2 where he improved his tackling and forced a turnover, Jackson reverted back to his old ways, failing to wrap up ball carriers as they ran over him. He also continues to be invisible in the passing game, failing to help in coverage far too often. While much of the defense excelled, Jackson struggled mightily. [listicle id=482454] [listicle id=482450]

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