Bears – 30

Browns – 6

After a disappointing loss to the Bengals last week, the Bears bounced back for an easy win against the Browns today.  The Bears defense played well against a pathetic Browns offense, forcing 5 turnovers, blocking an extra point, and returning an interception for a touchdown.  The Bears offense on the other hand proved they shouldn’t be feared by any team in the league.

Although they took the loss, the Browns defense gave the Bears problems in the trenches today.  Cutler was sacked 4 times and rarely had time to make good throws.  The Browns defensive line was consistently getting good pressure against the poor Bears O-Line.  Meanwhile, Cutler was taking an absolute beating and is lucky to have walked off the field alive.

Josh Beekman got the start at left guard over Frank Omiyale today but the offensive line still failed to get a good push against the opposition.  Forte managed to find the endzone twice but was held to just 3.5 yards per carry in the game.  However, he looked a bit quicker today than he had all season long.  Hopefully his explosiveness starts to return as the Bears try to get rolling in the second half of the season. The move to Beekman was long overdue as Omiyale looked pathetic for far too long this season.  This was the right move and

Overall, the Bears offense put on a mediocre performance.  Again, they struggled in the red zone and were forced to settle for field goals early on after taking the ball deep into Browns territory.  Although the team did a better job of protecting the ball in the redzone today, the playcalling and execution inside the 20 was just sad as the Bears scored only two touchdowns on six trips.  Ron Turner is really struggling to call effective plays when the Bears get near the endzone and that is really going to hurt the Bears in the long run this season.

Devin Hester continued to make great strides as a receiver, hauling in 7 catches for 81 yards.  He showed excellent hands and explosiveness as Jay looked towards him often throughout the game.  Hester has clearly emerged as the Bears go-to receiver this season.  His play has improved since the start of the season and it should only get better as the season continues.

On the defensive side, the Bears were in control all game long.  The Browns had success with the run but the Bears were able to contain the running game when necessary while completely shutting down the passing game.  Cleveland’s quarterbacks completed 7 of 20 passes for 74 yards and looked absolutely awful in the process.  Derek Anderson threw two interceptions.  Daniel Manning made a great diving catch on the first interception and Charles Tillman took the second one to the endzone.  Manning also forced and recovered a fumble, one of three fumble recoveries on the day for the Bears.  Daniel has been criticized in his career for his safety play but he can silence the critics with more performances like this.

The Bears were fortunate to get the Browns at home after two straight losses.  Although the Bears offense looked a bit lethargic against a pitiful Browns team, a win is a win and right now the Bears need them.  The team needs to step up their game next week however as the Cardinals come into town with a high powered pass offense.  The Bears secondary better be ready for Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.