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By Tony Moss, NFL Editor

(Sports Network) - A pair of clubs trying to avoid the indignity of a winless preseason will convene on the banks of Lake Erie Thursday night, when the Cleveland Browns host the Chicago Bears in the final 2008 exhibition for both squads.

The Browns have suffered through an injury-plagued preseason, one that has knocked quarterback Derek Anderson (concussion), wide receiver Braylon Edwards (foot), safety Sean Jones (knee), running back Jamal Lewis (hamstring) and return man Joshua Cribbs (ankle), among others, out for extended stretches. Those absences have helped conspire against Cleveland in defeats at the hands of the Jets (24-20), Giants (37-34), and Lions (26-6).

None of the above players are likely to appear on Thursday.

The Bears have had a successful preseason in that they have identified a starting quarterback, Kyle Orton, but their on-field results against the Chiefs (24-20), Seahawks (29-26 in overtime), and 49ers (37-30) have not yielded a win.

The Browns' most recent winless preseason came in 1972, when they went 0-6 in the warm-up period but rebounded to go 10-4 and make the playoffs. The Bears last went winless in the preseason in 1998, following that showing up with a 4-12 regular season.

With Anderson out for Cleveland, Brady Quinn is slated to make his second consecutive start on Thursday. Quinn had his struggles in the loss to the Lions last week, completing 14-of-24 passes for 106 yards and failing to lead a touchdown drive.

Ken Dorsey, who was 13-of-22 for 94 yards in the game, is likely to succeed Quinn in the lineup.

Like their counterparts on the Browns, the Bears' top starters probably won't see much action on Thursday night.

Given Orton's status as the starter, that could mean significant time for backup Rex Grossman, who won't have to worry about boos from his home fans while working in Cleveland.

Grossman has a 61.3 passer rating during the 2008 preseason.

The Bears open their regular season in primetime against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 7, while the Browns will begin their campaign at home against the Dallas Cowboys earlier that day.

Cleveland leads the all-time preseason series with Chicago, 16-7, including a 19-9 win when they visited Soldier Field prior to last season.