NEWSLETTER
A pair of Ohio-born quarterbacks take center stage Sunday at Soldier Field.
Mitch Trubisky of Mentor leads the Chicago Bears in search of improvement after a disappointing Week 15, which featured three interceptions. And he’d would relish a win against the Browns, who “strongly considered” drafting him with the first overall pick last summer.
On the other side of the field sits DeShone Kizer, who played his college ball at Notre Damemaking him a familiar face for Bears fans whose favorite college football team is the Fighting Irish. There was one point where the Toledo-born Kizer was believed to be the best quarterback of the 2017 NFL Draft class. None of that matters now, though, as Kizer has his eyes set on shaking the turnover bug that will probably put his long-term status as the team’s starting quarterback in jeopardy.
“Never Tell Me The Odds:”
Chicago enters Sunday’s game as a 6.5-point favorite with the over-under set at 38, according to Bovada. Sunday’s forecast calls for a high of 29 degrees. Good luck passing and scoring in those temperatures.
Series History:
The Bears own a not-so-nice 6-9 record in 15 regular season games against the Browns. However, Chicago has won each of the last two matchups.
Game Time, Broadcast Info, Officiating Crew:
Location: Soldier Field
Broadcast Info: noon, CBS-TV (Tom McCarthy, Steve Beuerlein, Steve Tasker), WBBM-AM 780, WCFS-FM 105.9 (Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer, Zach Zaidman)
Referee: Terry McAulay
Expected Starters and Lineups:
Bears Offense Expected Starters:
Bears Defense Expected Starters:
Bears Specialists:
Browns Offense Expected Starters:
Browns Defense Expected Starters:
Browns Specialists:
Hot or Not and Whom to Watch
Chicago Bears – Offense
Tarik Cohen could have a favorable matchup if the powers that be use him liberally in the passing game. Nearly 45 percent of Cohen’s snaps have come while lined up as a wide receiver, and 51.8 percent of Cohen’s targets have come in that role. Linebackers Joe Schobert and Christian Kirksey have each played more than 400 coverage snaps this season. Schobert’s coverage grade ranks 39th, while Kirksey’s is 57th among 81 qualifying linebackers. Cohen should be able to take advantage of this perceived edge.
Dion Sims’ 70.9 pass blocking grade is the sixth best among tight ends, according to Pro Football Focus. The Bears might need every bit of that in order to keep quarterback Mitch Trubisky upright for 60 minutes. On the other end of the spectrum, Sims’ 38.1 run blocking grade is the seventh worst in the NFL by PFF’s standards. The six players ahead of him are generally highly-regarded pass catchers. Sims isn’t.
Chicago Bears – Defense
Adrian Amos hasn’t played since Week 12 against the Philadelphia Eagles and the Bears’ secondary has suffered in his absence. How much Amos plays is still to be determined, but he has been a full participant in practice all week. In case you’ve been missing out, Amos is Pro Football Focus’ second-highest-graded safety with a 92.3 grade that trails only Harrison Smith of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Browns are paying more than $40 million in guaranteed salaries to right guard Kevin Zeitler and left guard Joel Bitonio to ensure the interior of their offensive line is a team strength. To an extent, it is. Bitonio is PFF’s sixth-highest-graded guard, while Zeitler is not to far behind him at 10th. Having two of the top 10 players at any position is good. Best of luck to Akiem Hicks, who will be dealing with that group as he goes out to prove he shouldn’t have been snubbed for Pro Bowl consideration.
Cleveland Browns – Offense
Josh Gordon is the Browns’ most dangerous weapon and is undoubtedly the best wide receiver on either team’s roster. Gordon has been targeted on 28.9 percent of DeShone Kizer’s throws since returning to the NFL in Week 13. And it’s not like Kizer is relying on the short game either as 42.9 percent of Gordon’s targets have traveled 20+ yards in the air. Cleveland’s offensive game plan could be to use Gordon to attack Kyle Fuller, who lines up on Gordon’s side of the field 79 percent of the time and has been one of the most targeted cornerbacks in the game.
DeShone Kizer’s turnover problems make the Bears defense a sneaky sleeper play for fantasy owners participating in Championship Weekend. In the Browns’ Week 15 loss to the Ravens, Kizer threw two interceptions and lost a fumble that resulted in a Baltimore touchdown. Kizer, who didn’t throw an interception in Week 12, has more interceptions (5) than touchdown passes (4) in his last three games. His completion percentage is 56.7 to go with a passer rating of 66.3. Kizer should be ripe for the pickin’.
Cleveland Browns – Defense
Briean Boddy-Calhoun is Cleveland’s primary slot cornerback (he lines up there on 83 percent of his snaps) and is quietly one of the league’s best at the position. Did you know Boddy-Calhoun owned an 85.8 grade at Pro Football Focus before I brought it up? Surprise. This suggests Kendall Wright will have his work cut out for him. Wright has been an ace in the slot, where 71 percent of his routes originate. Trubisky will need to be careful here after throwing his first interception while targeting Wright last week.
For being a No. 1 overall pick, defensive end Myles Garrett is having a quietly awesome season. This could be trouble for Bears left tackle Charles Leno Jr. Garrett’s 87.6 grade at PFF is the 13th best among edge defenders. As a point of comparison, the Bears’ highest-graded player at that position is Pernell McPhee (79.9) who just went on season-ending injured reserve.
