CLEVELAND (670 The Score) -- Throughout much of the NFL’s Super Bowl era, the Bears have struggled to build a prolific offense. But their futility Sunday afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium was nearly historic.
The Bears managed just 47 net yards of offense in their 26-6 loss to the Browns, the franchise’s second-lowest mark since the AFL merger in 1966. They averaged 1.1 yards per offensive play, the second-fewest by any team this century, as veteran tight end Jimmy Graham retweeted after the game. In his first NFL start, rookie quarterback Justin Fields was sacked nine times and ended up with just one net passing yard.
Six of the Bears’ 11 drives finished with negative yardage -- moving backward, not forward.
"Most can't make it up, it's that bad,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said.
In the highly anticipated starting debut for Fields, he didn’t stand a chance. He was 6-of-20 for 68 yards while rushing three times for 12 yards.
The No. 11 overall pick in the NFL Draft in April, Fields jogged around FirstEnergy Stadium before the game and was one of the last Bears into the locker room while soaking in the moment. After the game, he walked to the tunnel with a right hand that required X-rays -- he said it’s “fine” -- while struggling to process what had just happened.
“I’m not used to this,” Fields said. “I don’t like feeling like this.”
When the Bears ruled out veteran Andy Dalton early last week and named Fields their starting quarterback, Nagy said he was preparing to build an offense that fit him.
The Bears had planned to utilize Fields’ dual-threat abilities by shifting the pocket to create opportunities for him on the move. Instead, Nagy watched as the Browns took away the edges and forced Fields to stay in the pocket – which then crumbled around him.
“We know what we wanted to do and what we were going to try to do,” Nagy said. “They did too. They know as well. There are some parts that you got to be able to adjust if they’re going to be able to take something away that he does well, then you got to be able to adjust too.
“We’ll see exactly where we went wrong and why. And then ultimately again, in the end, it’s my job to make sure that that why part gets fixed.”
The Bears offensive line's poor protection is a major concern moving forward. Chicago surrendered its most sacks since Jay Cutler was sacked nine times during a game against the Giants in 2010.
Browns star pass rusher Myles Garrett had 4.5 sacks on six quarterback hurries. Jadeveon Clowney posted two sacks on five hurries. Fields was officially hurried 15 times in the game.
A veteran Bears offensive line that includes 36 years of NFL experience – including 18 from left tackle Jason Peters – left Fields hanging out to dry.
“It’s going to get better,” left guard Cody Whitehair said.
For Nagy, it can’t get much worse. This marked the fourth time in his four-year tenure the Bears were held to fewer than 200 total yards of offense – and the first time since 1992 that Chicago was kept under 100 yards.
Touted as an offensive innovator when the Bears hired him in 2018, Nagy has seen his offense continuously struggle in Chicago. But never had it ever been quite as poor as Sunday. Given the great hope surrounding Fields’ first NFL start, the near-historic offensive ineptitude was especially disappointing for Nagy and the Bears.
Nagy declined to commit to who will be the Bears’ starting quarterback when they host the Lions next Sunday at Soldier Field. He wouldn’t speculate on whether there will be changes on the offensive line. And he didn’t know how his offense could immediately be fixed to avoid another abysmal Sunday like this.
At the least, Nagy knew where to put the blame.
“I obviously as a head coach did not do a good enough job of getting this offense ready to go, to be able to play and win a football game,” he said. “It starts with me. It ends with me. And it’s as simple as that.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
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