The forecast calls for single-digit temperatures when the Chicago Bears host the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon along the shores of Lake Michigan.
Bears safety Kevin Byard III has an idea: Fans might stay warm by standing up and screaming at the top of their lungs.
“Be as loud as possible, especially on third downs,” Byard said when asked for his message to Chicago fans. “Like I said, the offense has to communicate a lot more. I know, especially against Cleveland, having a young quarterback, having to communicate in a very loud hostile environment can be huge for us on defense.”
The Bears (9-4) know they cannot afford a letdown against the Browns (3-10) as the postseason approaches. Chicago held the No. 1 spot in the NFC going into last weekend, but a narrow loss against the Green Bay Packers dropped the Bears into a potential wild-card spot heading into Week 15.
Cleveland has lost two straight and five of its past six, but the recent play of rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders has given the franchise reason for optimism. Sanders passed for 364 yards, three touchdowns and one interception last week in a 31-29 home loss against the Tennessee Titans.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski praised Sanders for improving throughout the season.
“In terms of a light turning on, those types of things, I just think he’s committed to getting better every single week,” Stefanski said. “And that’s what you want.”
The Browns also want their best player to make history.
Defensive end Myles Garrett enters this weekend with a league-high 20 sacks in 13 games. He is 2 1/2 sacks shy of matching the NFL’s single-season record of 22 1/2, which Michael Strahan set in 2001 and T.J. Watt matched in 2021.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams knows that Garrett will be tough to stop. Williams wants no part of becoming the answer to a trivia question: Which quarterback did Garrett take down to break the sack record?
“I’m going to try and make sure that he doesn’t get the sack record on us and on me,” Williams said. “… As a game plan … everything is not allowing them to wreck the game.
“That’s something he can do. That’s something that he’s done throughout his whole career. So we’re excited for the challenge. We’re excited for this week. We’re excited to try and get back into the win column.”
This is the teams’ 19th meeting. Cleveland leads the all-time series 11-7, and the home team has won 10 of the past 11 games.
In the most recent meeting, the Browns eked out a 20-17 home win on Dec. 17, 2023.
The teams are in much different positions now in terms of their playoff trajectory, but Byard said he and his teammates were treating the Browns as equals.
“Some people will call this a classic trap game or whatever it may be,” Byard said. “I don’t really believe in trap games in the league. I think every single week, you have to bring your best ball regardless of records.
“This is the National Football League, and every team and everybody is playing for something regardless of what the record is.”
The Bears did not practice on Wednesday, instead holding a walkthrough, meaning their participation report was an estimation. Rome Odunze (foot), who sat out the loss to the Packers, was listed as a limited participant, along with fellow wide receiver wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus (hamstring) and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (hip). Cornerback Kyler Gordon (groin), who was injured in warmups before the Green Bay game, was listed as a non-participant.
For the Browns, 10 players did not practice Wednesday: left guard Joel Bitonio (knee/back), right tackle Jack Conklin (concussion), strong safety Grant Delpit (illness/groin), defensive tackles Mason Graham (rib) and Adin Huntington (quad), tight end David Njoku (knee), running back Dylan Sampson (calf/hand), right guard Wyatt Teller (calf), wide receiver Cedric Tillman (concussion/rib) and cornerback Denzel Ward (calf).
Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson, who had his 21-day practice window opened, took part in individual drills. He has been sidelined since twice tearing his right Achilles tendon last season.
