CLEVELAND — Coach Matt Nagy didn't try to sugarcoat how poorly the Bears offense performed in Sunday's 26-6 road loss to the Browns.
"There's the anticipation of the way things go and I, obviously as a head coach, did not do a good enough job of getting this offense ready to go, to be able to play and win a football game," Nagy said. "So, it starts with me, ends with me, and it's as simple as that."
The Bears were held to 47 total yards, the second fewest in team history behind a 24-yard outing in a 1981 home loss to the Lions. The offense converted 1-of-11 third downs (9.1 percent) and allowed nine sacks, one shy of the franchise record set in a 2010 road loss to the Giants. The number of points both teams scored Sunday equaled their number of first downs, 26 for the Browns and six for the Bears.
"I appreciate the fight from our defense," Nagy said. "They fought their tails off the entire game. They kept us in it. As much as we were struggling, they kept us in it against a good football team. I also want to credit Cleveland. Coach [Kevin] Stefanski does a great job. Their coaches do a great job. [There are] a lot of good players on that team.
"Saying that, it starts and ends with me. It's something that I take to heart and I know that for our guys that are in that locker room and for our coaches that that's going to be the next challenge is moving forward and getting ready to play Detroit next week. This is not how we wanted it to go. You almost can't even make it up; it's that bad. But we've got to get to the film and we've got to make sure that we're hard on ourselves and we understand the whys and really just go from there."
Days like these: Making his first NFL start in place of the injured Andy Dalton, rookie quarterback Justin Fields completed 6 of 20 passes for 68 yards and a 41.2 passer rating while being sacked nine times.
"It's football; you have days like these," Fields said. "You've just got to bounce back and come back better, and we each have got to get better as a whole. Me personally, I want to get back and work harder than ever and just try to keep getting better each and every day."
Fields credited veteran quarterbacks Dalton and Nick Foles with supporting him on the sideline throughout the game.
"They were just telling me there's going to be days like this and games like this, but it's about how you respond," Fields said. "[They were] just trying to keep my spirits up. It's great to have those guys as a support system and just knowing that we support each other."
Asked how he was feeling after Sunday's loss, Fields said: "Kind of like you're in a dark space and you just want to do everything you can to just get a win. Like no matter what it is, no matter how long I have to stay in the facility and no matter what, you just want to come out with a win."
Positive sign: The pass rush was a bright spot for the Bears, who compiled five sacks of Baker Mayfield, including four in the first half. Khalil Mack registered two, Robert Quinn had 1.5, Mario Edwards Jr. recorded 1.0 and Angelo Blackson was credited with half a sack.
The first two sacks came on fourth-down plays on the Browns' first two possessions of the game, turning the ball over to the Bears offense.
Mack missed the second quarter with a sprained foot but returned to start the second half and produced his second sack of the game.
"The guy's a warrior," said linebacker Roquan Smith. "The guy does whatever it takes to be out there, so a tip of my hat to the guy. I tell him all the time how much I appreciate him."
On the ground: Bears running back David Montgomery was held to 34 yards on 10 carries. The Browns, meanwhile, rushed for 215 yards on 42 carries, with Nick Chubb gaining 84 yards on 22 carries and Kareem Hunt compiling 81 yards on 10 attempts, including a 27-yard TD. Hunt added a team-high six receptions for 74 yards.
Roster news: Dalton (knee), nose tackle Eddie Goldman (knee) and safety Tashaun Gipson Sr. (hamstring) sat out Sunday's game with injuries. Other Bears inactives were receiver Breshad Perriman, cornerback Artie Burns and tight end Jesper Horsted.
Gipson missed just his third game since the start of the 2016 season. The only other two came due to a back injury midway through the 2019 campaign when he played for the Texans. He was replaced by Deon Bush, who broke up a Mayfield pass on the game's first play from scrimmage. Rookie Khyiris Tonga started in place of Goldman at nose tackle.
Championship threads: The Browns wore 75th anniversary throwback uniforms Sunday, celebrating the 1946 season. In 1946, Cleveland won the All-America Football Conference championship, while the Bears captured their fourth NFL title in seven seasons. The Browns played in the AAFC from 1946-49 before joining the NFL in 1950.
News and notes: With 1.5 sacks Sunday, Quinn increased his season total to a team-leading 4.0, which is double his output of 2.0 for all of last season … Bears tight ends Cole Kmet (1-11) and Jimmy Graham (0-0) combined for one reception for the second straight game … Playing in his first game since suffering a torn ACL last October, Odell Beckham Jr. led Browns receivers with five catches for 77 yards … Cleveland pass rushers Myles Garrett (4.5 sacks) and Jadeveon Clowney (2.0) combined for 6.5 sacks Sunday after registering just 1.0 in the Browns' first two games … Cairo Santos booted field goals of 47 and 22 yards without a miss, extending his Bears record to 31 straight field goals … Pat O'Donnell averaged 56.7 yards on seven punts that traveled 63, 62, 61, 61, 52, 50 and 48 yards.
