The Bengals blew a 14-point lead in the final minutes of the fourth quarter in their Week 8 loss to the Jets and it looked for a moment on Sunday like they might pull off a comeback of their own against the Bears this week.
Joe Flacco threw touchdown passes to Noah Fant and Andrei Iosivas in less than a minute to put the Bengals up 42-41 with 54 seconds left to play. A defensive stop would have gotten the Bengals a much-needed win, but they gave up a 14-yard run to Caleb Williams on a third down and then let tight end Colston Loveland break free for a 58-yard game-winning touchdown one play later.
After the game, Bengals running back Chase Brown was asked what he was thinking while the Bears were going down to win the game.
“They played really well at the start of the season, they were carrying us on their back. So now that we’re stepping up, we just got to play complementary football,” Brown said, via James Rapien of SI.com. “We put the ball in the end zone and go up a point at the end, finish the f—king game. Like, just end it. That’s what we need to do. Just end the f—king game. Get us the ball back. Let us f—king go to 22 victory, and let’s end the game. That’s how I feel.”
NFL researcher Dante Koplovitz-Fleming noted that the Bengals are the first team in the Super Bowl era to allow 500-plus yards, 38-plus points and have zero takeaways in consecutive games. The Bengals made a big change on defense by hiring Al Golden as their coordinator after the unit’s disappointing 2024 season, but it looks like they’ll need to make more of them to get the team where it needs to be.
It was the wildest game of this NFL season.
The Bears and Bengals treated fans to a back-and-forth battle that featured eight lead changes, and three touchdowns and a successful onside kick in the final two minutes, with the Bears ultimately winning 47-42.
The fireworks started with the opening kickoff, which Cincinnati’s Charlie Jones returned for a touchdown, and never ended.
Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco finished with a career-high 470 passing yards, but that wasn’t enough.
First-year Chicago head coach Ben Johnson got the best all-around performance from his offense to date, with Caleb Williams throwing for 280 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, and Kyle Monangai running for 176 yards. Late in the fourth quarter, when D.J. Moore ran for a 17-yard touchdown to give the Bears a 41-27 lead, it appeared to be over.
But Flacco threw a touchdown pass to Noah Fant with 1:43 remaining, then hit Tee Higgins in the end zone for the two-point conversion, to bring the Bengals to within 41-35. The Bengals then recovered an onside kick and Flacco got right back to work, marching the Bengals down the field and hitting Andrei Iosivas for a nine-yard touchdown. The extra point made it 42-41, Bengals.
And then Williams marched the Bears down the field and hit Colston Loveland for a 58-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left. After that Flacco’s last-gasp desperation pass was intercepted, and the Bears held on.
At 5-3, the Bears are right in the thick of the NFC North race after the Packers and Lions both lost today. If they’re in the playoffs in two months, this game will be remembered as a big reason why.
Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins caught a spectacular 44-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco late in the second quarter today, and at this point Higgins scoring touchdowns in Cincinnati is to be expected.
It’s the ninth straight home game in which Higgins has caught a touchdown pass. Jerry Rice and Cris Carter are the only two other players in NFL history who have caught touchdown passes in nine straight home games.
The Bengals got the game started with Charlie Jones’ 98-yard touchdown return on the opening kickoff, and the Bengals have also had two Evan McPherson field goals.
The Bears got a touchdown pass on a trick play from receiver D.J. Moore to quarterback Caleb Williams, and they also got a touchdown pass from Williams to Olaminde Zaccheaus. The Bengals lead 20-17 at halftime
Bengals kickoff returner Charlie Jones didn’t waste any time in producing today’s first highlight.
Jones took the opening kickoff at the 2-yard line and raced 98 yards to the end zone for a touchdown to give the Bengals a 7-0 lead over the Bears.
Heading into today there had been only one kickoff return touchdown this season, a surprising statistic given that kickoff returns are up across the NFL this year. Jones scored number two.
The Bears now need their offense to answer after their special teams dug an early hole.
Word on Saturday was that Joe Flacco was on track to start at quarterback for the Bengals in Sunday’s home game against the Bears and official word of his status came on Sunday morning.
Flacco is active despite the right shoulder injury that caused him to miss Wednesday’s practice and limited him the rest of the week. Flacco was hurt on a sack in the fourth quarter of last Sunday’s loss to the Jets, but he did not miss any offensive plays.
The Bengals will be without defensive end Trey Hendrickson for the second time in three games. Hendrickson is inactive after being listed as doubtful to play due to a hip injury.
Bears at Bengals
Bears: RB D’Andre Swift, QB Case Keenum, LB Ruben Hyppolite, WR Luther Burden, RB Roschon Johnson, DL Dominique Robinson
Bengals: CB Marco Wilson, LB Logan Wilson, OL Dalton Risner, WR Jermaine Burton, TE Cam Grandy, DE Trey Hendrickson, QB Sean Clifford
Falcons at Patriots
Falcons: CB Billy Bowman, RB Nathan Carter, OL Michael Jerrell, WR Casey Washington, DL Ta’Quon Graham, DL Zach Harrison
Patriots: LB Caleb Murphy, DT Eric Gregory, G Caedan Wallace, S John Saunders, QB Tommy DeVito, RB Rhamondre Stevenson
Chargers at Titans
Chargers: S Tony Jefferson, CB Tarheeb Still, LB Kyle Kennard, G Mekhi Becton, T Austin Deculus, TE Will Dissly
Titans: WR Calvin Ridley, DT Jeffery Simmons, LB Arden Key, OL Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, WR Bryce Oliver, S Xavier Woods, OL Drew Moss
Colts at Steelers
Colts: DE Samson Ekubam, RB DJ Giddens, WR Anthony Gould, DE Tyquan Lewis, S Reuben Lowery, TE Will Mallory, T Luke Tenuta
Steelers: WR Scotty Miller, S Chuck Clark, LB Cole Holcomb, S Jabrill Peppers, OL Andrus Peat, DL Logan Lee
49ers at Giants
49ers: QB Brock Purdy, RB Jordan James, WR Ricky Pearsall, C Jake Brendel, DE Bryce Huff, DL CJ West, S Marques Sigle
Giants: S Jevón Holland, CB Paulson Adebo, CB Cor’Dale Flott, DL Chauncey Golston, T Jermaine Eluemunor, TE Daniel Bellinger, QB Jameis Winston
Broncos at Texans
Broncos: CB Pat Surtain, TE Nate Adkins, WR Marvin Mims, S P.J. Locke, DL Sai’vion Jones, DL Jordan Jackson, RB Jaleel McLaughlin
Texans: QB Graham Mertz, RB Dameon Pierce, T Jarrett Kingston, T Trent Brown, DE Dylan Horton
Vikings at Lions
Vikings: FB CJ Ham, T Walter Rouse, TE Josh Oliver, TE Ben Sims, DT Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, LB Austin Keys, CB Jeff Okudah
Lions: RB Craig Reynolds, DT Quinton Jefferson, DT Mekhi Wingo, S Erick Hallett, S Kerby Joseph, S Jammie Robinson
Panthers at Packers
Panthers: LB Princely Umanmielen, WR Hunter Renfrow, QB Mike White, C Cade Mays, TE James Mitchell, DT Cam Jackson
Packers: WR Dontayvion Wicks, K Lucas Havrisik, OL Jacob Monk, OL Donovan Jennings, DL Lukas Van Ness, DL Warren Brinson
