The Chicago Bears took care of business Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field.

Chicago needed to pick up a win against the three-win Cleveland Browns to keep up in the NFC playoff race and did just that. Quarterback Caleb Williams looked his best since the team’s Week 3 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Meanwhile, the defense took advantage of a rookie quarterback.

Sunday’s win not only marked the Bears’ first 10-win season since 2018 when they won 12. It also helped them get a step closer to their first playoff berth since 2020.

Here are the five big takeaways from a nice win at home.

Defensive dominance

Chicago’s defense took advantage of playing Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who started his fourth game of the season.

The Bears continuously forced Sanders into mistakes, whether it was errant throws or passes to Chicago’s defenders. Sanders went 18-of-35 for 177 yards and three interceptions and finished the game with a 30.3 quarterback rating. Cleveland’s offense finished the game with 192 total yards of offense and nine first downs.

Sanders struggled as the Bears created consistent pressure in the pocket against the rookie. Chicago sacked Sanders five times and added 15 quarterback hits. Defensive end Austin Booker led with two while defensive tackles Gervon Dexter and Grady Jarrett and linebacker D’Marco Jackson each had a sack, the first time the Bears had more than two sacks in a game since Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

That pressure led to plenty of mistakes. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson made an impressive interception in the third quarter while cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Jackson each added another. The Bears added to their league-leading 30 takeaways by doing what they’ve done all year.

“When we create the momentum, like [Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower] said all the time, sustain the momentum, keep it going” Jackson said. “So with the interceptions, just keep on coming. Sacks, just keep on coming. It was a great defensive game for us.”

Bears find DJ Moore

A major storyline heading into Sunday’s game was the lack of usage wide receiver DJ Moore had in his team’s Week 14 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Williams and Moore put those concerns to rest Sunday.

The duo connected for some of the game’s biggest scoring plays. Williams first found Moore toward the end of the first quarter when he fitted a perfect pass to Moore toward the back end of the end zone for a 3-yard completion. They then completed an improbable touchdown in the third quarter when Moore caught a 22-yard pass despite being defended by three Browns players.

Moore finished the game with 69 receiving yards on four catches for two touchdowns. Sunday was the third-most yards Moore’s had this season and the second multi-touchdown game of the season for Moore.

The rejuvenation came at an important time for the Bears as they battled injury at the wide receiver spot. Chicago played without top wide out Rome Odunze for a second straight game after Odunze was a late scratch just before kickoff. For Bears head coach Ben Johnson, Moore executed like he always did.

“He’s been playing this way every week,” Ben Johnson said. “We just haven’t been able to get him the ball or get the ball in his hands. We’re able to target him a few more times and he came through with some big plays for us.”

Turning turnovers into points

Chicago turned the momentum of Sunday’s game by executing in a moment it’s struggled in this season.

The Bears’ offense had stagnated after scoring on two of its first three drives. Chicago failed to score on five straight possessions and picked up seven first downs during those drives.

But the Bears took advantage of Sanders’ mistake and turned it into points. Jackson intercepted Sanders in Browns’ territory and returned it to the Cleveland 22-yard line. Williams then found Moore for his second touchdown of the day to take a 21-3 lead. Chicago also scored a field goal off of Gardner-Johnson’s interception.

It was an important sequence for the Bears for not only Sunday but the season. They had struggled to score touchdowns off of their turnovers for most of the year. On Sunday, the Bears showed improvement by stealing momentum.

“You want to go down and score,” Williams said. “It creates a sense of momentum for us and it gets everybody in it, it gets everybody going. That momentum is important to help us win games. Shifting energy, shifting momentum, shifting the points and things like that. Adding a possession for us is huge. That’s something that we preach. It’s something we’re going to keep harping on.”

Rookies make an impact

The Bears’ top-two draft picks from this year’s draft made a major impact Sunday. Tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III each served as easy targets for Williams to find Sunday, especially early.

Both Loveland and Burden played a major role in the Bears’ second scoring drive in the first quarter. Williams first found Loveland for a pass that he took 24 yards. Then Williams hit a wide open Burden, who added some yards to pick up 40 yards.

Burden finished with a team-high 84 receiving yards, the second-most in his career, on six catches and seven targets as he was extended plays with yards after catches. He left the game in the third quarter when he was ruled questionable with an ankle injury. Loveland wasn’t too far behind Burden with 63 receiving off four catches.

Each player has flashed at times this season and shown why Bears general manager Ryan Poles selected them so high in the draft. They’ll be important parts of the players playoff during the final three games this season.

“We’ve got depth,” Loveland said. “We got guys that can make plays and it’s cool to see. Very cool.”

Moving back up

Sunday’s win helped the Bears keep pace in what’s proven to be a very competitive NFC playoff picture.

Chicago jumped up to the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs after starting the day at No. 7. The Bears also moved up to the top of the NFC North standings after the Green Bay Packers lost to the Denver Broncos. If the season ended Sunday, Chicago would be hosting the Packers in the first round of the playoffs.

“When we create the momentum, like [Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower] said all the time, sustain the momentum, keep it going. So with the interceptions, just keep on coming. Sacks, just keep on coming. It was a great defensive game for us.”

—  D'Marco Jackson, Bears linebacker.

The Bears will face a tall task to get back into the playoffs. They’ll play the Packers (9-4-1), the San Francisco 49ers (10-4) and Detroit Lions (8-6) to end the regular season.

But after experiencing different types of wins and losses through the season, Williams and the Bears were confident they were prepared for the final stretch.

“I feel we’re ready for just about anything,” Williams said. “Hot weather, cold weather, whatever the case may be. We’re going to go out there and fight. I do know that and I like our chances, us versus anybody.”