Week 15’s Winners and Losers: Chicago Bears vs. Cleveland Browns, Losing 20-17 to the Cleveland Browns, the Chicago Bears dropped to 5-9 on the season after squandering yet another fourth-quarter lead.
Unfortunately, the Bears lost by double digits and dropped to 5-9 on the season, effectively removing them from playoff contention. This happened in Week 4 against Denver and Week 11 against Detroit.
The defensive unit was the game-changer. On two occasions, they returned an interception for a score and on the third, they picked off Joe Flacco, moving the ball back to the one-yard line. Until Flacco sparked three scoring drives, culminating in a 53-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper, to knot the game in the fourth quarter, they had the better of the game. They subsequently handed up a back-breaking third-and-15 conversion that led to the game-winning field goal.
The offense was another story, though.
Despite having the lead for most of the game, Chicago could not finish it in a “must-win” situation, as they battled with play calling and execution down the line. The final play even saw Darnell Mooney drop a Hail Mary effort that would have won it. The loss felt all too typical in the Matte Eberflus era and was another significant let down for the squad and this coaching staff.
Let’s dive into our winners and losers from the Week 15 game.
Montez Sweat is quickly reaching Khalil Mack levels of influence on this defense. Since coming over from the Washington Commanders, the 27-year-old has totaled six sacks (was involved in nine total), nine quarterback hits, two batted passes, and a forced fumble. On Sunday afternoon, his hot streak continued with two and a half sacks, three quarterback hits, and a forced fumble.
Sweat’s impact on this emerging defense is evident. Since being acquired on October 31st, the Bears’ defense has amassed 15 sacks, leading the league with 18 interceptions. More impressive, 12 of those have occurred since the trade deadline. The defense is playing high, and he has lot to do with that. That’s precisely what being a “multiplier” is all about.