Dawgs By Nature
Cleveland and Chicago don’t play very often. But when they do, it can be entertaining. Here are 5 memorable games in the series.
The Cleveland Browns travel to the Windy City to face the Chicago Bears in Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season.
This is one of the strangest rivalries in the league, as the Browns have only played the Bears 18 times, the fewest number of games against a team that was in the NFL when Cleveland joined in 1950.
Related: Browns 2025 Schedule Primer: Week 15, Chicago Bears
Cleveland dominated the series from 1950 to 1970, going 5-1 against Chicago and outscoring the Bears 189-72. But the Browns have dropped their last four visits to Chicago and have not won against the Bears as the road team since 1969.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at five memorable games between the Browns and the Bears.
The Browns walked into Wrigley Field in late November riding a streak of five wins and one tie in their past seven games, while the Bears were on their way to a 1-13 season.
Someone forgot to give the Bears the memo, however, as Chicago jumped out to a 14-point lead before the Browns got on the scoreboard in the second quarter, thanks to a 10-yard touchdown pass from Bill Nelsen to Paul Warfield. The teams then traded touchdowns, and Cleveland headed into halftime trailing by seven.
Chip Glass hauled in a 24-yard touchdown pass from Nelsen in the third quarter to tie the game, but the Bears answered back in the fourth quarter with a 10-yard field goal by Mac Percival, set up by a Cleveland fumble, to take a three-point lead with eight minutes remaining.
Nelsen then took the Browns on an eight-play, 90-yard touchdown drive, with Ron Johnson scoring on a seven-yard run. The Bears mounted one final offensive drive, but Cleveland’s defense held, and the Browns picked up the win to clinch their third consecutive Century Division crown.
The game not only marked Cleveland’s last appearance at Wrigley Field, but also the last time they would play in Chicago for 17 years. (Told you this was a weird series.)
Cleveland opened the season against the defending Super Bowl champion Bears, and while they lost, the Browns showed the rest of the NFL what was to come that season.
The Browns opened the scoring three plays into the game when Al Gross recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown that was upheld by the first use of instant replay in league history. Chicago’s Dennis Gentry returned the ensuing kickoff 91 yards, and the Bears ripped off the next 21 points.
Cleveland slowly fought back and trailed by just three points following Kevin Mack’s second touchdown run of the game, this one a 14-yarder in the third quarter. But the Bears kept pushing the lead back to 10 points,...
