Amid a tough stretch of schedule to close the season, and as they look to earn a playoff spot, Week 15 against the 3-10 Cleveland Browns looks like a layup for the Chicago Bears. But in the building, as expected, they know the Browns are not to be taken lightly, and the brutally cold weather could be an equalizer.
Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders has given the Browns' offense some juice it didn't have earlier in the season. While he only completed a little over half of his passes against the Tennessee Titans in Week 14 (23-for-42), he had the best outing of his career so far with 364 passing yards and four total touchdowns.
Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen praised Sanders upon reviewing the film of his performance against Tennessee.
"I think he does a good job," Allen said."Obviously, you still see some signs of a rookie quarterback. But in terms of being a rookie and composure in the pocket. I think you have one pass to Fannin down the defensive left side line, where he stood in the pocket, took a shot in the pocket, yet presented a really good ball for the receiver to catch. So I see a guy that's got good pocket presence. I see a guy, when he's out there, that can create. So I think he poses some significant challenges."
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If left guard Joe Bitonio ends up being out (he's listed as questionable), the Browns will have five new starting offensive linemen compared to Week 1 on Sunday. So the Bears' pass rush should have little trouble making Sanders uncomfortable, even if he's not necessarily going to be dropping back a lot in the brutal conditions at Soldier Field.
A key to the Bears' success this season has been a league-best +17 turnover margin, fueled by the league's most takeaways (27). A rookie quarterback making his fourth career start in a challenging road environment seems ripe for an opportunistic defense to take advantage of.
In ESPN.com's look at the Bears-Browns game, analyst Seth Walder's bold prediction hits that exact note.
"Sanders will turn the ball over at least three times. The Bears' defense is forcing turnovers on 19% of opponents' drives, which is the best in the NFL by a mile, and Sanders has the worst QBR (19.9) among all QBs with at least 100 pass attempts."
Sanders has accounted for three turnovers (all interceptions) in the first four appearances of his career, with a fumble that was not lost.
But if the Browns' young signal caller holds the ball a little too long behind an injury-thinned offensive line on Sunday, or if he has a few throws that are just enough astray as conditions make it difficult for the passing game, Allen's unit will be well-positioned to capitalize on any mistakes he makes.
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In what could be a low-scoring game, the Bears could indeed win the turnover battle as decisively as Walder insinuated they would. And that, as they've proven all season, is a sure-fire winning formula.