The Chicago Bears opened the preseason with a 34-10 win over the Cleveland Browns, where they overcame a first-half deficit before mounting a second-half comeback.
The Bears trailed 10-0 in the first quarter before tying things at halftime. In fact, they scored 34 unanswered points after their early deficit in a commanding win that featured some impressive showings on both offense and defense. With most of the starters not playing, it allowed some players lower down the depth chart to shine.
There were a number of standout performances in this win, as players look to push for a roster spot or a starting job. Here are the best and worst performers, according to Pro Football Focus:
Best offense grades- QB Case Keenum: 86.7
- WR Ray-Ray McCloud: 74.2
- RT Mason Murphy: 74.1
- WR J.P. Richardson: 73.6
- RB Salvon Ahmed: 73.6
Case Keenum had a near-perfect outing against the Browns, completing 9-of-10 passes for 151 yards with two touchdowns and a 158.3 passer rating. Ray-Ray McCloud, who just signed with the team this week, had the second-most receiving yards for Chicago with 63 yards on three receptions. J.P. Richardson had two receptions for 34 yards on three targets. Meanwhile, Salvon Ahmed, who's been a training camp standout, had two rushes for 17 yards and three receptions for 55 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown.
Worst offense grades- TE Qadir Ismail: 41.9
- OL Wesley French: 44.3
- OL Kiran Amegadjie: 44.8
- QB Tyson Bagent: 46.6
- OL Kyle Hergel: 49.5
Three of the lowest-graded offensive players were on the offensive line, including Kiran Amegadjie, who got the start at left tackle for the Bears where he rotated with Jedrick Wills Jr. throughout the game. Tyson Bagent didn't have his best outing, completing 13-of-22 passes for 169 yards with one touchdown and one interception for a 79.5 passer rating. Qadir Ismail had just one reception for eight yards on three targets.
Best defense grades- LB D'Marco Jackson: 91.7
- DE Jamree Kromah: 84.3
- CB Beanie Bishop: 82.4
- LB Devin Bush: 76.7
- DT James Lynch: 75.9
There were a number of defensive standouts, including Jamree Kromah and Beanie Bishop. Kromah had the second-most tackles with six, including three tackles for loss, while adding two sacks and two quarterback hits, as well as a forced fumble and recovery. Bishop had two interceptions -- one of Shedeur Sanders and one of Dillon Gabriel as well as two tackles and three total pass breakups. D'Marco Jackson had four tackles against the Browns while Devin Bush had one solo tackle in limited action. Meanwhile, James Lynch had a productive day with two tackles, one QB hit and one pass breakup.
Worst defense grades- DT Gervon Dexter: 44.0
- DE Jeremiah Martin: 46.4
- CB Josh Blackwell: 52.0
- S Dillon Thieneman: 52.4
- DE Austin Booker: 53.7
Gervon Dexter was one of a few starters who actually saw the field in the preseason opener, although he didn't see much playing time, not even cracking the boxscore. Jeremiah Martin had two tackles, including one tackle for loss, one QB hit and accounted for the only sack not made by Jamree Kromah for Chicago. Josh Blackwell had a rough showing in coverage, but he totaled five tackles. Dillon Thieneman had just one tackle in his preseason debut while Austin Booker saw limited action.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears PFF grades: Best, worst performers in preseason win vs. Browns
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