Plenty of turnover
Lovie Smith’s defenses have been built on causing turnovers, and the Bears had a season-high five takeaways Sunday, highlighted by Charles Tillman’s 21-yard interception return for a touchdown. Tillman also had a fumble recovery while Danieal Manning intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble as the Bears scored 20 points off those turnovers. Coincidentally, the last time the Bears forced five turnovers was the last time they wore their orange uniforms — Oct. 19 of last year in a 48-41 win over the Vikings.
Work in progress
The offensive line saw two new faces in starting left guard Josh Beekman and tackle Kevin Shaffer, who entered the game as an eligible receiver and extra blocker on goal-line situations. Although the Bears ran the ball somewhat better than in recent weeks, with Matt Forte going for 90 yards and scoring twice on run plays, the line still had its problems. Beekman allowed a Browns player to get a free shot at Jay Cutler. And Cutler was sacked a season-high four times. The line has to make progress or more change will be in the works.
Back in action
Defensive tackle Tommie Harris returned to the starting lineup after getting benched against the Bengals. Harris was credited with two tackles and put a hit on Browns quarterback Derek Anderson. He wasn’t much of a factor as he faced double teams throughout the day. But Harris was on the field a lot and showed good movement for a guy battling knee issues. “I felt good,” Harris said. “We kept having so many three-and-outs we really couldn’t get a rhythm. The guys came out there and played hard. The defense played hard.”
Taking care of business
When you’re playing one of the worst teams in the league at home, you should win. Although the Bears started slowly — again — and had some noticeable offensive lapses, they still tied their largest margin of victory this season against the hapless Browns (1-7). The Bears also defeated the Lions by 24 points. Looking ahead, a home date with 1-7 St. Louis and a road trip to 1-6 Detroit should be victories for the Bears.
