Bears’ depth shines in win over the Browns

Aug 15, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Case Keenum (11) looks to pass the ball against the Cleveland Browns during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Chicago Bears started slow, but eventually got cooking and absolutely smoked the Cleveland Browns yesterday, 34-10. The Bears played a few starters on defense, but the entire starting lineup on offense had the day off.

With 34 points and 430 yards, there were several good performances on the Bears' offense, but the defense came up with some big plays too. They had 3 sacks, 7 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 8 passes defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery, and they twice stopped the Browns on fourth-down tries. But the run D was a little leaky, allowing 4 yards per carry.

Some position battles were on full display as left tackle had a two-man rotation, and a few wide receivers made a claim for a 53-man roster spot. A battle could also be brewing for RB3. The starting d-line may lack star power, but the depth came through yesterday, which will make the bottom of the depth chart tough to figure out.

And do the Bears have the best 1-3 QB room in the NFL?

Check out JB and me on our latest Bear & Balanced right here (or on YouTube) live at 1:00 p.m. CT as we talk through Chicago's preseason win over the Browns.

Podcast version right here:

Here's our usual bullet point outline of Bear & Balanced.

• Intro:We'll both share some general thoughts about the game.
• Trench Tribute:This is our weekly pick for the best Bears lineman.
• Caught up in a numbers game:This segment features one number or statistic from the game that we found interesting.
• Sweet Tweets:We're both active on social media- so be sure you're all following us at@gridironborn&@wiltfongjr-and we highlight one Twitter interaction/Tweet each week. We're both also on the Bluesky here and here.
• The Caleb Corner: No Caleb Williams yesterday, so we'll talk about the other quarterbacks before we take our commercial break.
• The 3 Bears:You all know the story of the Three Bears, don't you? In this porridge-themed portion of the show, we give our picks for the Bear that washot, the Bear that wascold, and the Bear that wasjust rightin the game against the Steelers.

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