The Browns play the Bears in Week 15 in their second-to-last game away from Cleveland this season. The Bears are in search for their first 10-win season since 2018. Meanwhile, Cleveland is looking for its second straight road win after winning its last road game against the Raiders in Week 12.

"Really good opponent, NFC opponent," head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "Really good combination of scheme and players. Really great challenge in front of us. We have to be about our business when we get on that airplane."

As the Browns aim to beat Chicago on the road, here are three keys to the game.

Contain QB Caleb Williams' dual threat ability

QB Caleb Williams has been a versatile asset for the Bears, leading their offense with both his arm and legs. Williams has 2,908 passing yards and 19 passing touchdowns along with 321 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns this season. He has used his skillset to help Chicago win games this season.

In Week 10 to earn a win against the Giants, the Bears were down 20-10 with less than five minutes remaining. Williams dropped back to pass and then took off to the left for a pickup of 29 yards to New York's 2-yard line. Williams found WR Rome Odunze through the air for a touchdown a play later. On their next drive, Williams used a play action pass to scramble to the left and run for a 19-yard touchdown to give the Bears a 24-20 lead and the eventual victory.

"He's a really good young player," Stefanski said. "He can make a ton of plays both on schedule and off schedule, has elite arm talent to throw the ball around the field. He's very elusive, extremely elusive. He can get out of the pocket to the left, to the right, vertical in the pocket. He's a hard guy to bring down and that adds another element to their team and in this case their run offense."

While running backs D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai are the workhorses of the Bears' rushing attack, Williams is among the best scrambling quarterbacks in the NFL. Williams ranks seventh among quarterbacks in the NFL in rushing yards, including running for 50 or more yards three times this season. He has also averaged 24.7 yards per game, a number Cleveland's defense has held mobile quarterbacks like Joe Burrow, Cam Ward and Lamar Jackson under.

"The biggest thing is the run game, and then Caleb Williams sort of making plays off schedule," defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. "We face Lamar Jackson a couple times a year, we faced Justin Fields – we're going to have to have every bit as many hands on deck to stop quarterback scrambles as we do with those guys."

Beat the Bears' offensive line in the trenches

The Bears' offensive line has been one of the best in the NFL, just a year after allowing Williams to be the most sacked quarterback in the NFL. Williams was sacked 68 times in 17 games in 2024, but this season has been sacked just 20 times in 13 games. Chicago's 20 sacks allowed are tied for the sixth fewest in the NFL.

Four of the five Bears' starting linemen rank in the top 10 among tackles and interior offensive linemen in pass block win rate, according to ESPN. The Bears as a team rank second in both run and pass block win rate, winning their blocks 73 percent of the time on run plays and 74 percent of the time on pass plays.

"I'd just say that they've done a nice job, those guys," Stefanski said. "It's a good fit for what they're asking of their guys. They have some talented players."

Cleveland has been one of the best defenses at beating offensive lines and finding the quarterback with 44 sacks, the second-most in the NFL. DE Myles Garrett's 20 sacks this season lead the NFL and will provide a challenge for Chicago's stout offensive line. The Browns have been the best defensive line unit in the NFL in both pass rush and run stop win rate, as they win their pass rushes 50 percent of the time while winning their blocks on run plays 35 percent of the time, according to ESPN.

With two talented trench units in the Bears' offensive line and the Browns' defensive line, finding a way to stop progress at or behind the line of scrimmage is crucial for Cleveland.

Continue the momentum through the air

QB Shedeur Sanders accomplished a feat in Week 14 against the Titans that no Browns quarterback since 1950 had ever done – he threw for more than 300 yards and recorded three passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown.

He will need to continue to build on his Week 14 performance against a Bears' defense that gives up 224.8 passing yards per game, the 12th-most in the NFL. Despite being in the top half of NFL teams in passing yards allowed, their defense possesses the ability to create turnovers with 27 takeaways, including 18 interceptions this season. Sanders has three interceptions in four games played, including an interception in Week 14.

"I think when you're approaching any week, I don't think the intent is to ever throw interceptions," Sanders said. "So, I don't think – that's a statistic that lets you know that they're a good team. But I think when you approach each and every week, I think you know that the defenders are capable of catching an interception."

In order to help Sanders stay turnover-free, his pass catchers have to get separation. TE Harold Fannin Jr. will be one of those pass catchers for Sanders, as Fannin has tallied 297 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 15 catches in Sanders' three starts. Fannin recorded his first career 100-yard game, catching eight passes and a touchdown in Week 14.

"He's just in the read, he's open," Sanders said. "I think you have to know everybody's skillset and know what they do well in. Part of that is still positioning and having everybody fit your eye. Like the cut pass to Harold, that was a little later on, still caught it and still able to make a play. And as time goes on, we'll be able to build that trust, build that chemistry."

That chemistry with receivers like Fannin in Sanders' fourth start will be crucial against a Chicago defense that knows how to create sudden change plays.