Myles Garrett is the biggest obstacle in a brutal gauntlet the Bears have faced, plus expert insight on Browns’ offense with Shedeur Sanders
The Chicago Bears cannot afford to take the Cleveland Browns lightly on Sunday.
The Chicago Bears have the right mindset going into Week 15’s game against the three-win Cleveland Browns coming off a loss to the Green Bay Packers last Sunday.
No one is overlooking this team and the challenges the Browns can face. As everyone knows, it’s an any given Sunday league and the Bears are doing everything they can to prepare the right way for this team to avoid falling into a potential trap as 7.5-point favorites at home.
As bad as the record looks for Cleveland, the Browns have some dangerous play-makers on both sides of the ball, headlined by the Defensive Player of the Year front-runner in Myles Garrett and a promising rookie quarterback in Shedeur Sanders coming off his best start of the year.
The challenge easily starts with slowing down Garrett and the Bears have had some experience with that going through a pass rusher gauntlet this season against the likes of Maxx Crosby, Aidan Hutchinson, T.J. Watt, and Micah Parsons. Garrett is perhaps the biggest challenge to prepare for.
“He might be on another level than anybody else in this league right now,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said of Garrett on Wednesday. “…I think when you look at the size and strength and speed, it’s just the unique package where he really has it all.”
To get more insight on what to expect on Sunday from Garrett and also from the Browns’ offense, I spoke with Brandon Little of A to Z Sports Cleveland.
With Myles Garrett hell-bent on claiming the sack record, how can Chicago slow him down?
Myles Garrett was held in check pretty well by a bad Tennessee Titans front a week ago. The Defensive Player of the Year favorite had just one sack and his lowest pressure rate of the season. Tennessee chipped, double-teamed, and even triple-teamed Garrett at times to limit him. That, and getting the ball out quickly, are the biggest ways to minimize Garrett and that’s what teams are going to do the rest of the season. Garrett has 20.0 sacks and needs three more in the final four games to break the record.
Garrett once had 4.5 sacks against the Bears and Justin Fields in 2021. I don’t expect it to be that kind of game, or one where Garrett goes off like he has a couple of times this year with games of four and five sacks. Cleveland lost Maliek Collins a couple of weeks ago and that alone has made Garrett’s job a bit harder with the season that Collins was having. I could see Garrett getting a sack, maybe a second one late, to stay on track to shatter the NFL sack record. This won’t be the Patriots game over again where he nailed five of them.
How different is the Browns’ offense with QB Shedeur Sanders, who’s fresh off a 4 TD game?
The Browns want to be able to run the ball first with Quinshon Judkins and allow that to open up their pass. At points this season, the run blocking just hasn’t held up on the interior and that was the case against the Tennessee Titans last week when Judkins had just 24 rushing yards on 14 attempts. In the game before, Cleveland was able to run it 23 times with Judkins for 91 yards.
Judkins is a very good player and is going to be even better when the offensive line is improved down the road. Cleveland will try to have the run lead the way early, but will quickly turn to the pass if that isn’t working. The Browns like to use screens and quick dump-offs to the running back as extensions of their run game at times.
Shedeur Sanders has crossed 200 yards passing in two of his three games, including 364 yards against the Titans. Dillon Gabriel passed for over 200 yards just once in six starts, so the Browns’ offense has clearly improved through the air this season. Sanders limiting the mistakes through the air is the X-factor in all of this. He’s improved steadily over his first three starts and this game on the road against the Bears will be another key one for him.
Along with that, how concerning are the Browns’ issues up-front on offense?
Cleveland’s offensive line has held up in the passing game recently but it’s about as battered as it gets. Luke Wypler will start the last four games at center with a chance to earn the job for next year. Losing veteran C Ethan Pocic late in the season hurts, so it’s going to be something to watch with how Wypler plays. Cleveland didn’t have Jack Conklin last week on the right side and went with KT Leveston in his place.
Teven Jenkins very well could start at right guard for Wyatt Teller again this week. Cleveland lost Dawand Jones early in the season, so Cam Robinson has held down left tackle and made eight starts now. Shedeur Sanders has helped things over the last couple of weeks by not holding onto the ball as much. That’s going to be vital with how beat up this offensive line has been. Even if they get Teller or Conklin back this week, they won’t be 100 percent.
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