(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Chicago Bears (1-1) take on the Browns (1-1) in Cleveland at noon Sunday. WBBM Newsradio's pregame coverage will begin at 9 a.m.
OFFENSE
"Poised" and "calm" are two words many teammates and coaches have used to describe rookie QB Justin Fields. He will need to be exactly that in Cleveland’s “Dog Pound” in his first NFL start.
Expectations are that he will not be rattled by the moment, though he could get shaken by the Browns' defense, led by two-time Pro Bowl end Myles Garrett. Teams doubled the former Texas A&M star at a rate last season that was third most in the league.
Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy has a lot to work with in Fields. He can make every throw, he approaches the game from a “deep-to-short” mentality, and his speed and mobility are elite traits. How Fields is deployed against a Browns defense featuring nine new starters this season will be one of the major keys to the game.
Cleveland has plenty of experience dealing with Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson. In six meetings since 2018, Jackson has rushed for 438 yards, 28 first downs and 4 touchdowns, while throwing for 1,102 yards, 54 first downs, 10 touchdowns and only two interceptions.
My point isn’t that Jackson and Fields are identical, but that the mobility factor of Fields, in time, can be destructive to a defense. Bootlegs, roll-outs, RPOs and designed runs combined with an explosive arm make Fields a dangerous addition to the offense. Yet, it is his first start, and there will be growing pains.
Cleveland’s defense is still looking for the right chemistry, but they are challenging to run on. They are 9th in rushing yards allowed (77.5) and 4th in average/carry at 3.04. They are stingy on first down against the run and have allowed only one carry for 10 yards or more.
Where the Browns have been hurting is where the Bears are trying to improve, and that’s third down. Cleveland is 31st in the NFL allowing a conversion rate of 61.5%, while the Bears are converting 42.3%, which is 11th best in the league.
Getting the tight ends involved in the offense is one of the biggest keys to success. Cole Kmet, Jimmy Graham, Jesse James and J.P. Holtz combined for one target last week and should be deployed to assist the young quarterback.
DEFENSE
The Browns are built to run the football, behind an offensive line regarded as one of the best in the league -- and one with significant continuity in comparison to the rest of the NFL. Oak Lawn native Bill Callahan is superb in tutoring this group and finding answers to in-game adjustments.
This is where the sparks will fly in this matchup, because the Bears' defensive front is also highly regarded. Akiem Hicks is stellar right now, playing physical and nasty and helping Chicago linebackers make plays.
The return of Mario Edwards, Jr. and possibly that of NT Eddie Goldman give the Bears a lot of options up front, and all will be needed to curtail one of the best backfields in the league.
Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are as good as it gets in this type of offense. They work behind pulling guards and run downhill with a nasty disposition. The Bears will have to WANT to tackle to slow down these two locomotives.
The success of the Browns' run game sets up 4th year quarterback Baker Mayfield to run the well-executed and disguised play-action passing game. The results are a ball-control offense that ranks 6th in scoring, 8th in yards, 3rd in rushing and 3rd in yards-per-pass. Mayfield is completing passes at an 81.6% clip, so getting pressure on him quickly and slowing down the run game will be critical.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Not much has shaken out yet on the special teams unit for the Bears. Patrick O’Donnell has only punted five times, and Cairo Santos has only two short field goal attempts. There is nothing to speak of yet in the punt return game, though Khalil Herbert had 106 yards of kick returns in the opener in Los Angeles.
What the special teams unit needs to do this week is somehow maintain solid to good field position for Fields. So, curbing mistakes and penalties that put the offense on a long field is really important this week.
One of the wildcards in this game is Browns lefty punter Jamie Gillan, who is a former Scottish Rugby player and built like a linebacker. Known as the “Scottish Hammer,” Gillan has only punted three times but has a big leg and likes to get involved in the coverage tracking returners like a defender.
INTANGIBLES
The setting is incredible for Fields, who was in Cleveland on draft night in April when the Bears traded up to get him, and now he closes the circle with his first NFL start in Cleveland. How he handles the road crowd, expectations, and adversity when it comes will say a lot about how this game will look and how it will turn out.
Same story for the Bears defense, which feels it established a new floor of excellence against the Bengals. Now, they are looking to prove they are on the road back to elite form to aid a still-developing offense early in the season.
Jeff Joniak is the play-by-play announcer for the Bears broadcasts on WBBM Newsradio 780. Follow him on Twitter here: @JeffJoniak.
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