Ah, finally.
A nice, stress-free win for the Chicago Bears. In the fourth coldest game in Soldier Field history, the Bears dominated from start to finish against a lowly Cleveland Browns team that has fallen to 3-11. The Bears, on the other hand, improve to 10-4, and head coach Ben Johnson becomes the third in Bears history to win ten games in his first season after George Halas in 1920 and Matt Nagy in 2018.
Offense
On the offensive side of the ball, Chicago was moving the pigskin effectively throughout the entire game. There was a healthy balance between the rushing and passing attacks as they combined for a solid 361 total yards (142 and 219, respectively).
Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden (10) celebrates a first down during the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, December 14, 2025, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (David Banks / Imagn-Images).
The ground game was led by running back D’Andre Swift, who totaled 95 yards and a couple of touchdowns on the day, as he picked up the slack that his running mate, Kyle Monangai, who struggled with a case of butterfingers, left behind.
Quarterback Caleb Williams looked as cool as ice in the pocket as he threw for 242 yards and a pair of touchdowns, both going to wide receiver D.J. Moore. Moore received a game ball from Johnson after the game.
The second pass, in particular, was a real beauty. The Bears were at the Browns’ 22-yard-line, just shy of the red zone. Williams rolled to his right as he kept his eyes downfield for a receiver to throw to. He proceeded to commit the cardinal sin of NFL quarterbacking.
He threw across his body.
As the ball sliced through the air, multiple Cleveland defenders waited eagerly to pluck it out. However, D.J. Moore was also there to pluck it out. He leaped high into the air and snatched the ball for an improbable score. The epitome of “No, no, no, no, YES!”
After the game, when asked if that was an ill-advised pass, Williams simply responded, “Nah, I can make any throw.”
If there was anything negative to say about his game today, though, it would be that he didn’t show his trademark escapability as he took three sacks on the day, including one and a half to edge rusher Myles Garrett, who inches ever closer to the single-season sack record.
Williams looked noticeably slower during the game than he had in previous weeks, although this may be due to the injury he appeared to suffer just before halftime and the fact that it was very cold. Hopefully, not too much to worry about.
Defense
Defensively, it was a superb performance. The unit tallied another three interceptions to add to their league lead and even managed to get plenty of pressure, resulting in five sacks.
They were facing off against rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who last week had nearly 400 total yards and four touchdowns against the Tennessee Titans (yes, they’re at the bottom of the NFL, but still). This week, Sanders was held to less than half the yards and not a single touchdown.
Two of the sacks were generated by defensive end Austin Booker, who must’ve had a great time celebrating his 23rd birthday and getting the win. His efforts also helped hold Cleveland to just 50 yards on the ground, freezing their rushing attack solid.
The interceptions all occurred in the second half as linebacker D’Marco Jackson tipped a pass to himself for one, and defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson got another.
Star cornerback Jaylon Johnson even got one as Browns receiver Jerry Jeudy let a pass bounce off his chest into Johnson’s lap for a pick. Jeudy must’ve been in the giving spirit.
The defense was burned a few times by some plays that were part of the Browns’ game plan called “Isaiah, go deep!”, referring to receiver Isaiah Bond, but you can never be mad at a defense for holding a team to three points.
Special Teams
The third phase of the game got in on the action as well.
Return man Devin Duvernay had multiple returns that set up the offense in great field position. Punter Tory Taylor also downed three punts inside the twenty to make the defense’s lives easier. Teamwork makes the dream work.
Chicago Bears cornerback Josh Blackwell (39) downs a punt at the 1-yard line during the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, December 14, 2025, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (Matt Marton / Imagn-Images).
The only struggle was kicker Cairo Santos missing a 35-yard field goal, which likely indicates that Chicago could be looking for a change at kicker in the offseason.
The Future
All in all, these factors total out to an efficient Bears win in what is certainly their last “easy” game of the season to get to ten victories. But as Ben Johnson said in his postgame presser, “Ten is great, but it’s not enough”.
He’s right. In an NFC Playoff Picture that looks like a warzone, Chicago will likely need at least one or two more wins to secure their spot in the postseason.
Next week, the Bears will have a rematch against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night at Soldier Field in a game that will likely decide the division. With the Packers dropping a game to the Denver Broncos, the Bears are back in first place.
But the biggest loss for the Packers is Micah Parsons, the star edge rusher who was just confirmed today to have torn his ACL.
To put it simply, the Packers are weak. They’re hurting. If you’re the Bears? It’s time to get revenge.
