Chicago Bears Week 3: Why Bears have plenty of hope versus Browns

3. The Chicago Bears’ defensive front will flex their run-stopping muscles

Arguably the biggest matchup of the game will come when Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt try to break through the brick wall that has been the Bears’ front seven.

Through two weeks, the Bears are allowing just 71.5 rushing yards per game — good for fifth-best in the NFL. After a huge game in Week 1, Joe Mixon went for just 69 yards on 20 carries against the Bears. It may have been just one game, but Mixon was the league’s leading rusher after Week 1, going for 127 yards against the Vikings.

Back in Week 1, outside of a 15-yard gain late in the game, the Bears held Darrell Henderson to just 3.6 yards per carry. And, if we’re looking at the whole picture, the Bears held Henderson to just 26 yards for the entirety of the game until the Rams’ final drive where they wanted to run out the clock.

Chicago’s front has been fantastic thus far in stopping the run, and they have done it without Eddie Goldman. Seventh-round rookie Khyiris Tonga has stepped in and played very well. Akiem Hicks has been himself again, playing with a fire that Bears fans know and love.

The Browns present the league’s top rushing duo, so this will be a big test. But, the Bears’ defense is on the rise and must prove they are up to the task.