At 0-14, the Cleveland Browns have two shots to get a win in 2017. With the AFC North division champion Pittsburgh Steelers waiting in Week 17, Sunday's tilt versus the Chicago Bears looms as the best chance to avoid 0-16.
"We won't be that team," defensive end Akiem Hicks said, via the Chicago Tribune. "Simple as that. We won't let that happen."
The question of motivation for two bad teams comes into play Sunday at Soldier Field.
The Bears are playing out the string with a coach who by all reports is likely to be fired after the season -- and he seems to know it. The Browns are trying to avoid joining the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only teams in NFL history to go 0-16 for a season.
Rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky said the Bears don't need the potential embarrassment of losing to a winless team to fight for a victory on Sunday.
"The motivation is just to win," he said. "We have a bunch of competitors and we're trying to finish out our season strong. We don't care who rolls in here."
Facing a plucky Browns defense that's ranked No. 1 against the run by Football Outsiders' metrics, the Bears' chances for victory will likely rest on Trubisky's arm. Coming off last week's three-interception performance, the rookie has enough motivation to improve over the final two games of the season.
