How will Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields fare in his return to Cleveland, site of his 9-sack debut?

LAKE FOREST – Justin Fields didn’t know how to answer the question.

What have you learned since the last time you started a game in Cleveland?

That day, of course, Fields made his first NFL start. Just more than two years ago, on Sept. 26, 2021, Fields made his starting debut and the Bears allowed nine sacks. Fields finished the day with 68 passing yards and, with the sacks, the team netted just one passing yard. It was one of former head coach Matt Nagy’s worst game plans.

So what has Fields learned since then?

“I mean, you can go on and on,” Fields said.

At the risk of asking an obvious question: What does he remember most about that day?

“Just being back in Ohio, first start, everybody excited, and then of course getting sacked, too,” Fields said. “Hopefully we can change that going back this weekend.”

Fields will return to Cleveland Browns Stadium for the first time since that day. The former Ohio State quarterback returns now with 33 additional NFL starts under his belt. Much has changed since then. Most notably, Nagy is long gone and Matt Eberflus has been in charge of the Bears for the better part of two years.

Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy have built their offense around what Fields does well, which has made a world of difference for the quarterback.

“Justin’s a way different player now then he was back then, a way different process than where we’re at,” Getsy said. “This defense poses a lot of challenges for us, and we’re focused on trying to find a way to attack these guys the way they are now.”

Justin’s a way different player now then he was back then, a way different process than where we’re at. This defense poses a lot of challenges for us.”

—  Luke Getsy, Bears offensive coordinator

The Cleveland defense is for real. The Browns still have Myles Garrett, who had 4.5 sacks in that game in 2021. This season, Garrett has 13 sacks, which ranks seventh among NFL defenders.

Over the offseason, the Browns traded for three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Za’Darius Smith, who the Bears faced twice each season when he was with Green Bay and Minnesota. Smith has 3.5 sacks and 14 quarterback hits this season.

“You want to play against the best,” Getsy said. “Those two, you have to account for at all times. There’s no question about it, when you’re going up against guys like that, your game plan has to be centered around those two guys.”

The Cleveland defense ranks No. 1 in the NFL with sacks on 10.2% of opponents’ pass attempts. This defense ranks No. 1 in total yards per game and passing yards per game.

Yes, Cleveland has given up 27 points or more in three consecutive games, but the offense has struggled since starting quarterback Deshaun Watson’s season ended. The Browns defense has been forced to carry the load. The addition of veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, who started the past two games, seems to have helped the offense considerably.

Getsy said that when teams have a chance to put up points against this Cleveland defense, they have to capitalize.

“Last week specifically, Jacksonville had maybe five or six opportunities,” Getsy said. “They took advantage of three of them and left the other two out there. You can’t do that or you won’t win. That’s a big part of it. You’re going to get a couple opportunities in a few different ways that we’ll hopefully show rather than talk about. At the same time you have to execute those opportunities.”

The Browns beat the Jaguars 31-27 last week with the help of three touchdown passes from Flacco.

Garrett hasn’t had a sack in three games. He will be a challenge for the Bears’ young offensive tackles, Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright.

“He’s the best defensive player on the field, so you’ve got to know where he is at all times, every play,” Fields said.