The Bears nearly escaped from Cleveland with their 4th victory in 5 games, but in the end, they could not hold on to a double-digit lead in the 4th quarter and they dropped a 20-17 decision to the second-place team in the AFC North.
The Bears were ahead by 10 points in the 4th quarter and the defense had stifled Joe Flacco and the Cleveland Browns offense for the majority of the game, but the veteran quarterback hit wideout Amari Cooper with a 51-yard TD pass with 3:08 remaining that tied the game. Shortly thereafter, Flacco and tight end David Njoku hooked up on a 34-yard pass play that set up Dustin Hopkins for the go-ahead field goal with 36 seconds remaining.
It appeared the Bears were left to cry in their beer after that, but Justin Fields was in a position to fire a Hail Mary pass from midfield on the final play of the game. The athletic quarterback bought time by rolling to his left, setting his feet and throwing a high-arcing pass to the end zone. Wideout Darnell Mooney read the play and backed out from the crowd of receivers and defensive backs and prepared himself for the rebound.
The ball came his way as he fell to the ground, landing in midsection, but he was unable to control it. As the ball slipped out of his grasp and was intercepted, the game slipped away from the Bears and their playoff chances grew even more remote.
Head coach Matt Eberflus bears some of the blame for the loss, as do several others.
Eberflus must be held accountable for the Bears tendency to blow 4th-quarter leads
This wasn't the first time the Bears have dropped a game when they led by 10 points or more in the final quarter. It's the 3rd time that has happened this season, something that puts the Bears in rare company.
The first came in Week 4 against the Denver Broncos. The Bears led 28-7 in the third quarter and took a 14-point lead into the fourth. The Broncos methodically went down the field on their first TD drive of the quarter and took advantage of a turnover to tie the score. The Bears turned the ball over on downs after that, and Russell Wilson led the FG drive that won the game for Denver.
The Bears had a 26-14 lead on the road over the Lions with 4:20 to go in the fourth quarter of their Week 11 game, but Detroit roared back on a Jared Goff TD pass and a touchdown run by former Bear running back David Montgomery. The Lions added a safety for good measure when Aidan Hutchinson sacked Fields at his own 15 and the resulting fumble bounded out of the end zone.
Eberflus showed he knew nothing about holding onto a fourth-quarter lead against the Browns. He missed an opportunity to extend a 17-7 lead when he failed to attempt a 50-yard field on the first play of the 4th quarter and Fields was sacked on a 4th-and-1 play.
More than that situation, Eberflus has not been able to convey the urgency needed to his players. If he had been able to do that, they would have won all of those games with double-digit fourth-quarter leads. Instead, they lost all three.
Fields lacks consistency, and has throughout his 3 years with the Bears
There is little doubt that Fields is capable of making some spectacular plays. Most of those plays occur when he is running with the ball, but he is also capable of making some big throws down the field. However, he does not make those plays often enough.
In the loss to the Browns, Fields was particularly ordinary. Fields completed 19 of 40 passes for 166 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions — both on Hail Mary attempts at the end of each half. He failed to create anything on the ground, as he rushed for 30 yards on 7 carries, with a 15-yard run serving as his longest.
Unfortunately for Fields, he failed in comparison to the 38-year-old Flacco. The Cleveland quarterback completed 28 of 44 passes for 374 yards with 2 TDs and 3 interceptions. Flacco came through in the fourth quarter when his team needed him most.
Fields has wonderful athletic ability, but he has never been able to demonstrate consistency when the game is on the line.
Despite all the Bears' issues, they could have been victorious if Mooney could have found a way to hold onto the ball in the end zone on the final Hail Mary. The receiver did everything right to put himself in a position to make the play, but he failed to catch the ball.
That play sums up the Bears' season.
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