The Chicago Bears looked crisp and disciplined last week in their preseason win against the Cleveland Browns, but yesterday against the Cincinnati Bengals, they looked like a different team. The Bengals rolled to a 27-9 win, as the Bears failed to get anything going. They were just 2 of 14 (14.3%) on third downs and 1 of 3 on fourth downs, while committing 11 penalties for 81 yards after only getting flagged twice vs Cleveland.
The Bengals were 46.2% on third-down tries and were penalized 9 times
for 49 yards.
The Bears had 430 yards of offense last week, but just 322 yesterday in Cincy, while the Bengals put up 346.
Chicago’s three quarterbacks only completed 55.8% of their passes for 250 yards, and it wasn’t all inaccuracy, as there were a few drops too.
The Bears had the game’s only takeaway (an interception), but they didn’t get any sacks. They held the Bengals’ ground game to just 64 yards on 20 attempts (3.2 ypc), but allowed 282 passing yards and 3 touchdowns through the air.
Head coach Ben Johnson said the Bears had only one injured player: reserve linebacker Nephi Sewell.
Before we get into some more numbers, here are all the Bears who did not play against the Browns.
And here is how the Bears started the day on both sides of the ball.
Here are the Bears’ playing time breakdowns and a few individual stats.
Offense
With so many players participating for the Bears in the preseason, I’ll split the snap count lists into two for both the offense and the defense. Also, keep in mind that special teams snaps in these preseason games often indicate the reserve players coaches have in mind for the third phase, either on the 53-man roster or for the practice squad.
- Caleb Williams was just 2 for 5 in his one series for 28 yards.
- Roschon Johnson led the Bears in rushing with 42 yards on 12 attempts. He added a catch for a yard.
- Case Keenum was 9 for 17 for 119 yards.
- Jahdae Walker had the Bears’ longest play from scrimmage on his only catch, a 36-yard reception from Keenum.
- Rookie tight end Sam Roush had 2 receptions for 30 yards.
- Wideout Maurice Alexander led the Bears in receiving with 60 yards on 5 catches.
- Rookie Miller Moss was 13 of 21 passing for 103 yards, and he had a 5-yard scramble.
- Salvon Ahmed had 6 runs for 36 yards and 3 catches for 14 yards, plus a tackle on special teams.
- Receiver JP Richardson had 5 receptions for 48 yards and a 14-yard kick return.
Defense
- Corner Dontae Manning had 5 tackles and 3 passes defended, plus a tackle in the third phase.
- Dayo Odeyingbo had a QB hit.
- Neville Gallimore had 3 tackles and a QB hit.
- Daniel Hardy had 2 tackles, a TFL, and a special teams tackle.
- Rookie linebacker Wayne Matthews III tied for the team lead with 7 tackles on defense, and he added another on special teams.
- Ruben Hyppolite II also had 7 tackles.
- Jordan van den Berg had 3 tackles.
- Defensive end Jeremiah Martin had a tackle, a tackle for loss, and a QB hit.
- UDFA safety Skyler Thomas had 2 tackles and an interception.
Special Teams
*The above image has players who only played in the third phase.
- Cairo Santos was 3 for 4 on field goals, with his miss coming from 53 yards (wide right).
- Tory Taylor had 6 punts and a 51.8 average (40.8 net), with 1 punt inside the twenty.
- Receiver Kaden Davis had 1 tackle, 2 punt returns for 11 yards and 2 kick returns for 48 yards.
- Long snapper Beau Gardner had a tackle.
To check out the full Bears vs. Bengals box score, ESPN has an easy-to-navigate site.
All statistics, snap counts, and accompanying pictures are taken directly from the NFL’s Game Statistics and Information System.
