Cleveland Browns come from behind to beat Chicago Bears, secure winning season

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Cleveland Browns come from behind to beat Chicago Bears, secure winning season

Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal · Akron Beacon Journal

Sun, Dec 17, 2023 ·

14 min read

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CLEVELAND — The Browns entered the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears staring at a 10-point deficit and the prospects of their one-game cushion in the AFC wild card race evaporating. They left the fourth with a win, a winning season and one step closer to a playoff berth.

Dustin Hopkins kicked a 34-yard field goal with 32 seconds remaining in regulation to carry the injury-depleted Browns to a 20-17 come-from-behind with over the Bears .

Of course, it wasn't a done deal until Bears quarterback Justin Fields ' 45-yard pass into the end zone on the final play was deflected down into the belly and hands of Bears receiver Darnell Mooney . Mooney, though, kicked the ball up in the air and into the hands of safety D'Anthony Bell for the game-clinching interception.

The win improves to the Browns to 9-5, keeping them firmly in the No. 5 seed and top wild card spot in the AFC playoffs. They also clinched their fourth winning season since 1999, and first since 2020.

It took a remarkable turnaround over the final 14:56 to turn what looked like a loss into a win.

The Browns trailed the Bears 17-7 going into the fourth quarter. Chicago had a fourth-and-1 from the Cleveland 33.

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields (1) runs the ball in the second half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Fields tried to run for the first down, but rookie cornerback Cameron Mitchell managed to get a hand on the former Ohio State Buckeye's foot. That was enough for Fields to fall down shy of the yard to gain, giving the Browns the ball with 14:56 remaining.

That stop turned the momentum toward the Browns, who scored one three of their four fourth-quarter possessions. Quarterback Joe Flacco was 11 of 13 for 212 yards and a huge 51-yard touchdown to Amari Cooper to tie the game with 3:08 remaining.

Flacco was 28 of 44 for 374 yards with a touchdown, three interceptions and a 77.3 passer rating. It was his 26th career game-winning fourth-quarter or overtime drive of his career.

Fields was 19 of 40 for 166 yards and a touchdown and two interceptions and a 46.5 passer rating.

The Browns have had winning seasons in 2002 (9-7), 2007 (10-6) and 2020 (11-5). They reached the playoffs in 2002 and 2020, but lost out on the playoffs in 2007 based on tiebreakers.

Here's how another dramatic Browns win played out on Sunday:

Joe Flacco to Amari Cooper to tie the game for the Cleveland Browns

The Browns and Bears found themselves in a tie game with 3:18 remaining when Joe Flacco threaded the needle between three Chicago defenders around the Bears 27 to Amari Cooper. Cooper shed a tackle attempt and turned up the right sideline and ran to the end zone for a 51-yard touchdown.

Dustin Hopkins, who twice had missed point-after kicks which could've tied the game this season, made the PAT to square the game up at 17-17.

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah with big sack of Justin Fields to aid another stop

The Bears were moving the ball toward midfield after Roschon Johnson gained 3 yards on a first-down run to the Chicago 46. On the next play, though, linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah came blitzing off the right side of the Bears' line and sacked Justin Fields for an 11-yard loss.

Chicago would have to punt the ball away. The Browns took over at their own 20 with 5:18 remaining.

Marquise Goodwin sighting to jump-start Cleveland Browns field goal drive

The first official play after the fourth-down stop by the Browns defense saw Marquise Goodwin finally make a big impact in the vertical passing game. On first-and-15 from the Browns 28, quarterback Joe Flacco hit Goodwin for a 57-yard catch and run to the Chicago 15.

A holding penalty later in the drive, though, would force the Browns to eventually settle for a 33-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins to pull within 17-10 with 12:27 remaining in regulation.

Justin Fields comes up inches shy on fourth-and-short to start fourth

The Bears gave the Browns a chance on the first play of the fourth quarter when Justin Fields stumbled and fell inches shy of the yard to gain to convert a fourth-and-1 from the Browns 33. Cameron Mitchell tripped the Bears quarterback up, who came up short.

End 3rd quarter: Chicago Bears 17, Cleveland Browns 7

The Bears outscored the Browns by 10 in the third quarter to take a 10-point lead into the final 15 minutes of regulation. They'll have a fourth down on the Browns 33 to start the fourth.

Chicago outgained the Browns 66-10 in the third quarter. The Bears also picked off Joe Flacco twice compared to one giveaway by Chicago.

Muffed punt turns into Cleveland Browns interception

The Browns thought they had gotten new life when Chicago punt return man Trent Taylor muffed a punt at his own 20 and Cleveland's Mohamoud Diabate recovered it. That life was snuffed out on the very next play.

That's when the Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson perfect read a throw by Joe Flacco intended to David Njoky near the goal line. He jumped the route for the interception, which he returned to the Bears 35.

Cairo Santos field goal extends Chicago Bears lead in 3rd quarter

The Bears finally drove the field on the Browns defense. Not the whole way, but far enough to make it 17-7 on Cairo Santos' 41-yard field goal with 7:07 left in the third.

Chicago went 47 yards on 9 plays for the field goal.

Tremaine Edmunds ' pick 6 gives Chicago Bears the 3rd quarter lead

The Bears' defense nearly had a pick 6 in the first half. They got one on the first Browns offensive play of the third quarter when T.J. Edwards hit Cedric Tillman as the ball hit his hands, which led the ball to squirt into the hands of Tremaine Edmunds.

Edmunds returned the interception 45 yards for the touchdown and a 14-7 Chicago lead with 13:50 remaining in the third quarter.

Halftime: Cleveland Browns 7, Chicago Bears 7

The Bears nearly pulled out a 37-yard Hail Mary touchdown on the final play of the first half. Instead, the pass into the end zone was knocked down into the hands of linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah for what was ruled as an interception.

The Browns lead 152-122 over the Bears in total yards. Both teams are 2 of 8 in third-down conversions.

Joe Flacco was 14 of 23 for 140 yards with a touchdowns, an interception and 74.5 passer rating. Justin Fields was 12 of 21 for 101 yards with a touchdown, an interception and a 65.8 passer rating.

Browns punter Corey Bojorquez pins the Chicago Bears deep, Bears get loose

The Browns have a definite weapon in punter Corey Bojorquez, even on days when he's not at his best. Such as his final punt of the first half, when he pinned the Bears at their own 2 with a 53-yard punt.

The problem, with 59 seconds left in the half, was the Browns couldn't keep Chicago pinned back. Instead, the Bears managed to get all the way to the Browns 37 with 8 seconds remaining.

Joe Flacco, DTR, David Njoku and a Cleveland Browns scoring drive

Just when the Browns offense looked like it was stuck in neutral through five possessions, they turned their sixth possession into a game-tying touchdown drive. While the drive ended with David Njoku pulling in a 2-yard touchdown pass on the back line of the end zone on a throw that looked like Joe Flacco was actually trying to get rid of, it took a couple of miraculous plays to just get there.

The first of those was a third-and-7 play from the Browns 31. Flacco got out of the pocket to the right and fired a strike to Amari Cooper for 42 yards to the Bears 27.

The second of those came on fourth-and-2 from the Bears 19. The Browns put Dorian Thompson-Robinson in at quarterback and he took the shotgun snap and threw a swing pass to his left to Jerome Ford , who gained 5 yards for the first down.

Browns quarterback Joe Flacco's interception turns into Chicago Bears points

Two plays after the Bears punted to the Browns, Joe Flacco threw a pass directly to Chicago's Eddie Jackson as Flacco was hit by a blitzing Bear. Jackson returned the ball to the Browns 1.

From there, it became a comedy of errors for both teams, with the Browns getting two 12 men in formation penalties around a Martin Emerson Jr. pass interference penalty. The Bears then, after it had second-and-goal from the 1, were moved back 5 yards on a false start.

The Bears finally scored on third-and-goal from the 6 when Justin Fields got out of the grasp of Myles Garrett , reversed field and hit tight end Cole Kmet for the touchdown right before he reached the left sideline. The Bears took a 7-0 lead with 10:54 left in the second quarter.

End 1st quarter: Cleveland Browns 0, Chicago Bears 0

The Browns and Bears are scoreless after 15 minutes of play. Neither team hasn't gotten deeper than the opponent's 44.

Chicago has outgained Cleveland 45-39 in total yards. Joe Flacco is 4 of 10 for 33 yards with a 49.2 passer rating, while Justin Fields is 3 of 8 for 43 yards and a 55.7 passer rating.

All-Pro Joel Bitonio suffers injury on third Browns possession

All-Pro left guard Joel Bitonio had to be helped off the field by trainers after an 8-yard Joe Flacco-to-David Njoku pass on the second play of the Browns third possession. Bitonio remained down on his left knee for a moment while the training staff came out to talk to him,

Bitonio then walked off to the sideline while having an arm draped over two trainers. Once onto the bench, he spent several minutes trying to work out the pain in the knee.

The Browns announced it was a back injury for Bitonio. His return is questionable.

Bitonio had his 102 consecutive regular-season game streak snapped in Week 6 against San Francisco while he recovered from arthroscopic knee surgery.

Michael Dunn replaced Bitonio in the line. That means four of the five offensive linemen are not original starters.

Banged-up Browns defense forces 3-and-out on Bears first possession

The Bears got the ball at their own 16 after the Browns punted the ball to them to start the game. Chicago would punt from their own 21 after not picking up a first down.

The injury-depleted Browns defense started out this way. It didn't include either cornerback Denzel Ward , who did come in after a couple of plays, or defensive tackle Jordan Elliott .

DE: Myles Garrett
DT: Shelby Harrison
DT: Dalvin Tomlinson
DE: Za'Darius Smith
LB: Sione Takitaki
LB: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
LB: Tony Fields II
S: D'Anthony Bell
CB: Greg Newsome III
CB: Martin Emerson Jr.
S: Ronnie Hickman

Browns don't score on opening possession for first time with Joe Flacco

The Browns picked up on first down on their opening possession. However, after getting first-and-5 from their own 47, they lost three yards to end up punting it to Chicago.

It's the first time in three games with Joe Flacco at quarterback the Browns didn't score on their opening possession.

Cleveland Browns win the toss and take the football to open the game

Head coach Kevin Stefanski wants to set the tone from the start. The Browns won the toss and elected to receive to open the game.

The Browns opened with this lineup:

QB: Joe Flacco
RB: Jerome Ford
TE: David Njoku
WR: Amari Cooper
WR: Elijah Moore
TE: Harrison Bryant
LT: Geron Christian
LG: Joel Bitonio
C: Ethan Pocic
RG: Wyatt Teller
RT: James Hudson III

Denzel Ward, Jordan Elliott back, Anthony Walker Jr. out for Cleveland Browns

The positive is that cornerback Denzel Ward will play against the Bears, his first appearance since Week 11 against the Pittsburgh Steelers . An added bonus is that defensive tackle Jordan Elliott will also play after leaving last Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a concussion.

The negative, though, is that linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. was ruled out with the knee injury he sustained during Friday's practice. His absence is just the latest blow to a defense which is down multiple starters due to recent injuries.

Ward has been out the previous three games as he recovered from a shoulder injury he sustained in the win over the Steelers. He has practiced the last two weeks, but was ruled out of the Jaguars game.

Elliott's return from concussion protocol is a big boost to a defensive line which will be down key pieces in defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo, who is out Sunday with a pectoral injury, and defensive tackle Maurice Hurst II, who is on injured reserve with a pec injury.

Walker was originally listed as questionable on Friday afternoon. However, he was ruled out after a brief workout on the field about two-and-a-half hours prior to the game, watched over by head coach Kevin Stefanski, linebackers coach Jason Tarver and others.

Tony Fields Jr. will start in the place of Walker. The Browns are also down reserve linebacker/special teams standout Jordan Kunaszyk , who is out with a calf injury.

The Browns inactive list included injured starters in safety Juan Thornhill (calf), Walker and center Ethan Pocic (stinger). Also inactive due to injury are Kunaszyk and Okoronkwo.

Cornerback Kahlef Hailassie and defensive end Sam Kamara were healthy scratches.

How to watch, stream and listen to the Cleveland Browns vs. Chicago Bears

TV channel: FOX WJW-TV (Channel 8).
Stream: Fox Sports , Fubo (free trial) .
Announcers: Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Mark Sanchez (analyst) and Laura Okmin (sideline reporter).

How to listen to the Cleveland Browns vs. Chicago Bears on the radio

The Cleveland Browns Radio Network will carry the game, with Jim Donovan (play-by-play), Nathan Zegura (analyst) and Je'Rod Cherry (sideline reporter) on the call. Among the affiliates in the Akron-Canton area are WAKR-AM 1590, WONE-FM 97.5, WHBC-AM 1480, WQKT-FM 104.5, WKRK-FM 92.3, WKNR-AM 850 and WNCX-FM 98.5. It can also be heard on Sirius/XM, either on channel 138 or 381.
The Browns have also started a Spanish-language broadcast, with Rafael "Rafa" Hernández-Brito (play-by-play) and Octavio Sequera (analyst) on the call. Games will be streamed on La Mega Cleveland , as well as heard on WNZN-FM 89.1 in Lorain and WVKO-FM 103.1 in Columbus.

Browns-Bears odds, money line, over/under

Provided by Tipico Sportsbook ; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at noon ET, Saturday.
Moneyline (ML): Browns -150 (bet $150 to win $100) | Bears +130 (bet $100 to win $130)
Against the spread: Browns -3 (-105) | Bears +3 (-105)
Over/Under (O/U): 37.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears injury report

Browns: Cornerback Denzel Ward (shoulder), questionable; linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. (knee), questionable; defensive tackle Jordan Elliott (concussion), questionable; linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk (calf), out; center Ethan Pocic (stinger), out; safety Juan Thornhill (calf), out; defensive end Ogbo Okoronhwo (pectoral muscle)
Bears: Safety Jaquan Brisker (groin), questionable; receiver D,J. Moore (ankle), questionable; linebacker Noah Sewell (ankle), out; receiver Equanimeous St. Brown (pectoral), out

Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears in Week 15

The Browns improved to 8-5 on the season with a 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Quarterback Joe Flacco's home debut saw him throw for 311 yards and three touchdowns, as well as an interception and a fumble. The Browns forced Jacksonville into four turnovers, including three Trevor Lawrence interception, two of those to Martin Emerson Jr.

The Bears improved to 5-8 on the season with a 28-13 win over the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field in Chicago. Quarterback Justin Fields threw for 223 yards and a touchdown, while running for 58 yards and a score. The Bears outscored the Lions 18-0 in the second half to rally for the win.

Cleveland Browns vs. Chicago Bears series

Sunday's game will be the 18th meeting between the Browns and the Chicago Bears. The series dates back to 1951.

Overall: Browns 10-7
In regular season: Browns 10-7
In playoffs: N/A
In Cleveland: Browns 8-2
In Chicago: Bears 5-2
Streak: Browns won the last meeting
Last meeting: Browns won 26-6 in Cleveland on Sept. 26, 2021

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns come from behind to beat Bears, secure winning season

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