Cleveland Browns @ Chicago Bears
Final Score: Bears 31, Browns 3
Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1.bsky.social on Bluesky)
To say it was a chilly day in Chicago was an understatement as the Bears aimed to continue their push to the playoffs against the Browns in a nothing game for Cleveland. On their opening drive, a brilliant special teams play had the Browns punting out of their own end zone — Devin Duvernay returned the punt into Browns territory and a heavy dose of D’Andre Swift gave the Bears an early lead. The Browns then chose not to go for it on fourth down on the next drive and paid the price as Caleb Williams shredded the Cleveland secondary in a perfect seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that ended with a beautifully weighted pass to DJ Moore in the back of the end zone. The rout was on.
Shedeur Sanders was pressured and battered to the tune of five sacks and three interceptions in a true rookie performance. Saying that, Sanders was let down by his offensive line and his coaches — the play-calling was appalling and the game plan was dreadful. Sanders was picked off on back-to-back drives in the third quarter that the Bears converted into touchdowns on each occasion. That was game over.
Three Up
- D’Andre Swift — A dominant showing on the ground from Swift, who showed patience and intelligence in running behind blockers and his two scores accounted for his first multi-touchdown game of the season. Despite the emergence of rookie Kyle Monangai, Swift is the clear workhorse for this offense
- Caleb Williams — Another clean, professional performance from Williams, who showed his command of the playbook with several smart decisions and at least four high-level throws in important spots. Williams enjoyed hitting his receivers a bit deeper than usual and his 22-yard connection with Moore for a score was a dart
- DJ Moore — It’s very much been boom or bust for Moore this season but fantasy managers will love this output in a start spot in the flex this week. Moore hit paydirt twice and his crossing route for his first score showed off his elite speed and elusiveness
Three Down
- Quinshon Judkins — What a waste of talent as Judkins hardly got a chance to succeed behind a poor offensive line performance and an even worse play-calling game from the Browns. He was hardly used on early downs, which is baffling.
- Shedeur Sanders — A rough rookie day against a strong defense that seemed to have the inside knowledge on what the Browns were trying to achieve. Sanders needed to use his legs more, but he often found himself under pressure deep behind the line of scrimmage.
- Jerry Jeudy — The veteran remains No. 1 on the depth chart, but his involvement in this offense far from deserves that status. He didn’t look on the same page as Sanders on one throw and was tied with two other players for targets behind Harold Fannin Jr. His fantasy status is trending even further down.
Cleveland Browns
Quarterback
Shedeur Sanders: 18/35, 177 Yards, 3 INT, 5 Sacks | 2 Carries, 24 Yards
You have to wonder about Kevin Stefanski in Cleveland after this early horror show on offense. The team was in a mess at the line, switching in personnel late and not ready for the snap resulting in numerous penalties. Shedeur Sanders also faced heavy pressure and, despite using his legs to make it fourth-and-1, the embattled Cleveland coach chose not to trust his young signal-caller and punt the ball away. The Bears went all the way down the field and scored their second touchdown of the game. Poor coaching. Cleveland’s pass protection was atrocious in the first half and Sanders was annihilated on back-to-back drives with Bears pass rushers enjoying free lanes, unblocked to the quarterback. It was that way the whole game and the rookie fell apart in the third quarter with trying to do too much resulting in two interceptions, one in the red zone that was stolen away from Jerry Jeudy as it was thrown too close to the cornerback. His only positive was two impressive deep-ball completions to young Isaiah Bond.
Running Back
Quinshon Judkins: 12 Carries, 21 Yards | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, -4 Yards
This is not on the talented runner out of Ohio State who was not given the volume or opportunity at key times in this contest to be effective. The Cleveland game plan was hard to understand and Quinshon Judkins was phased out in the second half as Sanders threw back-to-back interceptions. And each time he was used out of the backfield, the Bears were ready for him on corner blitzes. The Browns’ offensive line was porous and the young rusher was met immediately behind the line of scrimmage on eight of his 12 rushes. Wow!
Trayveon Williams: 1 Carry, 3 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 4 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Isaiah Bond: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 89 Yards
Isaiah Bond has shown some big-play ability this season and his chemistry with Sanders is one of the lone positives out of this game. The two connected on deep balls for 47 and 42 yards — these two catches combined accounted for half of his quarterback’s passing yards on the day. It’s something to build on.
Harold Fannin Jr.: 14 Targets, 7 Receptions, 48 Yards | 1 Carry, 2 Yards
As it has been this season, the rookie tight end has been employed early and often over the middle of the field as a safety blanket for whichever quarterback has started for Cleveland. His 14 targets were a season high and the volume is what every fantasy manager wants out of a tight end. He is not only a capable receiver but an accomplished route runner who can push for extra yards. He showed this on two catch-and-runs in the first half. The rookie also has four scores on the season and will be a popular fantasy option in a (hopefully) better offense in 2026.
Jerry Jeudy: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 22 Yards
Another poor effort from the former Broncos wideout as his poor hands accounted for a bobbled pass that allowed Jaylon Johnson to grab it and take away the ball in the red zone for an interception that effectively ended the Browns’ threat in this game.
Malachi Corley: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 10 Yards
Gage Larvadain: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 8 Yards
Chicago Bears
Quarterback
Caleb Williams: 17/28, 242 Yards, 2 TD, 3 Sacks | 3 Carries, 13 Yards
The former No. 1 overall pick stood with poise in the pocket drive after drive, in complete command of the offense and ready to scramble away from pressure when needed. His ability to move side-to-side and throw on the run has become a key asset for this Bears offense. Williams once again excelled at throwing on the run to move the sticks. He also enjoyed feeding his young tight end Colston Loveland, and their burgeoning relationship on short to intermediate routes worked nicely in setting up the Bears around midfield. Williams punished turnovers from the Browns twice in the third quarter to put the Bears in cruise control. He found Moore on a beautiful fadeaway in the corner of the end zone and then orchestrated a long touchdown drive that D’Andre Swift finished up with a strong run to take the game away from Cleveland. Williams only attempted 10 passes in the second half, limiting his fantasy contribution.
Running Back
D’Andre Swift: 18 Carries, 98 Yards, 2 TD | 1 Target, 1 Reception, -2 Yards
The former Detroit running back is at home with Ben Johnson and he rumbled in from 6 yards out after a nice cut to the outside to give the Bears an early lead after touching the ball four times for 21 yards on a drive that started in Cleveland territory. The Bears’ rushing attack came into the game with the best yards per carry numbers over the last nine games and Swift has been a big reason for that. His tandem with downhill bruiser Kyle Monangai has become an effective combo that teams have not been able to stop. Swift was dominant in the second half and showed his ability between the tackles to work extra yards for his team behind another good offensive line performance. Swift ran in from 17 yards out after another Sanders interception to call game late in the third quarter. After a slow first month of the season, Swift has been excellent for his team and very efficient. His 5.4 yards per carry once again stood out and he always put the Bears in third and short situations with some touch extra yards.
Kyle Monangai: 11 Carries, 33 Yards | 2 Targets
Kyle Monangai did most of his work (eight carries) in the first half as he enjoyed some red-zone touches (without joy) and split with Swift. Somewhat surprisingly, however, he had only three carries in the second half and short-field positions after turnovers probably went against him. Still, the young back has proved his worth. His fantasy production has been elevated by touchdowns in four of his past six games, but the last two weeks have hurt fantasy owners gambling on his goal-line work.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Luther Burden III: 7 Targets, 6 Receptions, 84 Yards
Another rookie showing his worth as the season has progressed, Burden led the team in targets, catches and yards on his best day so far as a wideout in the NFL. Taking advantage of the absence of Rome Odunze, Burden twice made splash plays downfield. The first was his most crucial, a 40-yard grab in which he evaded multiple tacklers at the end of the first quarter to setup Moore’s touchdown three plays later. Burden made a fantastic grab for 14 yards on the next drive on second-and-long but the Bears ended up missing the field goal. The fact he was Williams’ first read on deeper balls was a good sign for his future.
DJ Moore: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 69 Yards, 2 TD
A boom day for the ultimate boom-or-bust player so far in 2025. DJ Moore made a great play in double coverage in the end zone to haul in a pinpoint Williams pass for his second score of the game. The throw was high and it needed to be to split two Browns cornerbacks, but Moore positioned himself perfectly to come down inbounds with the ball for a 22 yard score.
Colston Loveland: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 63 Yards | 1 Carry, -2 Yards
The young tight end is emerging into a Travis Kelce-esque presence in this offense and his ability to break off runs out of the slot thanks to his route running prowess stood out in this game. He used a double move to shed a linebacker and rumble downfield for 24 yards on the Bears’ first touchdown drive, using his power in completing plays to drive into contact at the end of the run. Colston Loveland wasn’t always on the field and this is the only next step the Bears need to get right. Cole Kmet is still a part of the game plan and until that changes we won’t see Loveland make that next step.
Cole Kmet: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 28 Yards
Olamide Zaccheaus: 3 Targets