Browns Report Card: Brutal grades in a rough loss vs. the Bears

The Browns lost again this season to the Chicago Bears, finishing with a 31-3 record.

Cleveland’s offense struggled to find its footing against the Bears, turning the ball over multiple times and showing little offensive productivity. The team committed three turnovers due to interceptions by Shedeur Sanders. Including his best pass of the day to Jerry Jeudy, which was supposed to be a touchdown but was intercepted in the end zone. Despite his poor performance, it’s hard to judge Sanders given his current lack of offensive help.

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Against the Chicago Bears, the Browns defense wasn’t much better, failing to convert turnovers and giving up 31 points. The Browns’ special teams team struggled, giving the Bears good field position, but the Browns defense failed to step up. The Bears’ running game held the Bears to 142 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while quarterback Caleb Williams had 242 yards and two passing touchdowns.

Now, let’s take a look at the Browns’ score sheet from their shocking Week 15 loss to the Chicago Bears:

Quarterback: D

Shaddell Sanders didn’t help much against the Bears, but he also didn’t do a good job of controlling the offense. In the loss, Sanders was intercepted three times due to some poor decisions and returned a touchdown to wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. Despite a couple of impressive throws from wide receiver Isaiah Bond, the Browns were unable to capitalize on what little success they had on offense. Sanders finished with 177 yards on 35 pass attempts in Week 15.

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Despite their poor performance in this game, the Browns are still in evaluation mode with their young players, including rookie quarterback Shaddell Sanders. He guarantees three more starts for the Browns before they head into the offseason and likely pursue a quarterback. Sanders needs to focus on taking on the Buffalo Bills and their defense as they look to clinch a 2025 playoff spot as soon as possible.

Running back: F

The Browns’ rushing attack has struggled of late and is one of the worse units this season. Starting running back Quinshon Judkins had a rough day behind the team’s injury-plagued offensive line, gaining just 21 yards on 12 carries. As a team, the Browns’ running backs had a season-low 24 rushing yards and had nowhere to go with the ball.

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Despite the lack of push downfield, it’s almost inexcusable that the Browns’ running backs had so little production in the ground game. The Browns offense has struggled to find the same performance for nearly the entire season in 2025, and now the piling of injuries is affecting more than just the team’s chemistry. We’ll see how they progress against the Buffalo Bills, who are expected to put pressure on the Cleveland backfield quickly.

Wide receiver/tight end: D

After a strong performance against the Titans, the Cleveland Browns’ receiving core returned to weaker form against the Bears. Rookie wide receiver Isaiah Bond was the team’s silver lining and the team’s leading receiver with two catches for 89 yards. Beyond that, Cleveland’s receiving core displayed turnovers and turnovers for much of the Week 15 game.

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In this game against the Chicago Bears, Browns receivers dropped the ball multiple times, including a Jerry Jeudy fumble for a touchdown that was intercepted. Giving the offensive line more minutes is the first step; those receivers can then focus on developing their own routes and ensuring accurate passes. We need to improve against the Buffalo Bills, especially if we want to see how Shaddell Sanders performs in the final few games of 2025.

Offensive Line: F

The Browns’ offensive line is ugly, with rotational players throughout 2025. The team’s offensive line only had four players with an overall PFF grade of 60.0 or above. In addition to the disappointing results, the Browns’ protection also allowed quarterback Shedeur Sanders to be sacked five times and pressured a total of 15 times. In addition, the team’s rushing downfield is also limited, which is only equivalent to 50 total rushing yards in the ground game.

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It’s hard to find a worse performance from the Browns’ offensive line this season, or in recent memory. They are currently battling multiple injuries, which leaves veteran guard Joel Bitonio as the team’s last starting offensive lineman in Week 1. The team will have to perform better against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday if they want to secure a win and give quarterback Shaddell Sanders more minutes.

Defensive Line: C-

Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has struggled to get around the Browns’ injured defensive line. The Browns’ defensive line performed better against the Bears than it did against the Titans, totaling three sacks and seven quarterback hits. This didn’t seem to bother opposing quarterback Caleb Williams too much, as he still had a very productive day. Like the Titans in Week 14, the Bears’ rushing attack was very successful against Cleveland’s defense.

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With its rushing attack, Chicago rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns. That included the performance of starting running back D’Andre Swift, who rushed for 98 yards on 11 carries and two rushing touchdowns. The only silver lining is that Myles Garrett can secure 1.5 sacks, bringing his season total to 21.5, just one shy of Michael Strahan’s single-season sack record.

Defender: C+

It was a productive day for rookie linebacker Carson Schweizer, whose tackle total continues to soar heading into the 2025 season. He totaled a team-high 14 tackles, bringing his season total to 133 tackles. This is also his highest score in a single game so far this season. Linebacker Mohamoud Diabate also had a season-high eight tackles in Week 15 against the Bears.

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Despite the efforts of the Browns linebackers, it wasn’t enough to stop the Bears offense, which scored 31 points. It’s hard to argue that this team needs to get better, as they have provided the most consistent performance at any position on the Browns roster. We’ll see if they can get some support from other members of the defense against the Buffalo Bills.

Middle school: D+

The only limitation facing the Chicago Bears passing attack is the cold weather. Cleveland’s secondary held opposing quarterback Caleb Williams to 242 yards passing and two touchdown passes. They also failed to throw an interception against Williams, who had 28 pass attempts. Even without top receiver Rome Odunze, the Bears can get the ball to another top receiver in DJ Moore. He had four catches for 69 yards and two touchdowns.

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The Browns’ secondary looked anything but sharp against the Bears, who were riding high on confidence after picking up their tenth win of the season. Without top cornerback Denzel Ward, the Browns’ defensive backfield lacks the leadership and confidence to overcome the Bears’ talented receiving core. The challenge won’t be any easier against quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills’ wide receivers, who hope to secure a playoff berth this coming Sunday.

This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns report card: Brutal results in tough loss against Bears