How four Bears players to watch performed vs Browns
The Chicago Bears suffered a tough 20-17 loss in Week 15 against the Cleveland Browns. The team blew a 10-point lead entering the fourth quarter to slam the door shut on any hopes of a late season push. While the loss was less than ideal, a few Bears players were able to show out on […]
The Chicago Bears suffered a tough 20-17 loss in Week 15 against the Cleveland Browns. The team blew a 10-point lead entering the fourth quarter to slam the door shut on any hopes of a late season push.
While the loss was less than ideal, a few Bears players were able to show out on the field in Week 15. Leading up to Sunday's game, four players were spotlighted in this matchup, let's revisit those players and see how they performed.
Cole Kmet
The Bears tight end had a solid outing against the Browns defense in Week 15 that included scoring the team's only offensive touchdown of the game. Cole Kmet finished the game with a team-high five receptions for 23 yards and one touchdown.
The touchdown was the sixth of the season for the Bears tight end, and the 15th of his 4-year career. Kmet is now one receiving touchdown shy of tying his single season career-high he set back in 2022 with three games remaining this season.
Kmet is putting together a sneaky solid season in 2023 and should be receiving more attention than he is in terms of Pro Bowl consideration. Entering Week 16, Kmet ranks Top-10 in receptions and receiving yards while being tied for second in receiving touchdowns among tight ends. Only Detroit Lions rookie Sam LaPorta has more touchdowns at the position than Kmet.
Kmet was clearly an X-factor for the Bears on Sunday. His only mistake was getting called for a false start on the goal-line, but he was able to make up for it two plays later with the team's lone offensive touchdown.
Braxton Jones
The Bears starting left tackle put together set another solid tape against one of the league's most dominant pass rushers. Braxton Jones got the better of Browns defensive end Myles Garrett when matched up together and against Za'Darius Smith.
By the end of the game, Garrett was held without a single sack for the fourth consecutive game, the longest stretch of his career without recording a sack.
Pro Football Focus credited Jones with eight pressures and eight hurries allowed in Week 15. However, Jones did not give up a sack for his sixth consecutive game.
"When you have a guy that's had that experience as a rookie, his biggest growth always comes in the second year," Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said on Friday. "He's starting to really get consistency as he goes through the week in terms of his preparation, and also his play on Sunday."
Jones is really starting to stack together some impressive games since returning from a neck injury he suffered earlier in the season. The jump he's made in year two has easily allowed him to play his way into being a part of the Bears long-term roster at the most crucial position needed for an offense.
Gervon Dexter Sr.
The Bears rookie defensive lineman didn't see much of an uptick in his usage in Week 15 but still played a considerable amount of the team's defensive snaps against the Browns. Most importantly, Gervon Dexter Sr. hit home for the second straight week recording 0.5 sack and a QB hit on Sunday.
Dexter working on the defensive line next to Montez Sweat was a thing of beauty against the Browns. The two split a huge sack against Joe Flacco on a 2nd-and-9 that led to a three and out by the Browns in the fourth quarter. Just watch how ferocious the two defensive lineman attacked the Browns offensive line on that play.
The Bears defensive line continues to be one of the brightest spots for this entire team. This unit is going to be great for years to come with the amount of young talent they have coming along next to Sweat. The Bears ended the day with four combined sacks as a team and another three takeaway performance thanks to the unit up front.
Eddie Jackson
The Bears veteran safety came through in a big way for the team despite the loss in Week 14. During the start of the second quarter, Eddie Jackson intercepted Browns quarterback Joe Flacco recording his first takeaway of the season.
In fact, it was Jackson's first interception since Week 8, 2022. The interception was Jackson's 15th of his career and helped give the Bears an edge over the Browns.
Jackson was one-yard shy of having his first interception returned for a touchdown since his breakout season in 2018. The Bears offense managed to put it into the endzone nine plays later to score the first points of the game.
According to Pro Football Focus, Jackson was targeted two times on Sunday. One led to the interception, the other was a 57 yard completion allowed to Marquise Goodwin on the Browns first drive of the fourth quarter. Jackson would love to have that play back but his interception definitely helped the team in a major way.
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