The Chicago Bears participated in a joint practice with the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, ahead of Saturday's preseason game, and there were a lot of highlights from the two hour practice on offense and defense.
According to media members in attendance at the closed practice, most of the practice looked like it would've been another 47-42 shootout if it were a game, just like their regular-season meeting last year. The Bears offense got off to a strong start, with quarterback Caleb Williams making plays, but the offensive line struggled throughout and it was a rough close to practice for the starting offense. Meanwhile, Chicago's defense was challenged by Joe Burrow and Cincinnati's offense, although they made some big plays during the practice.
Here's what we learned from the Bears-Bengals joint practice during training camp:
Both offenses were lighting it up early...
Early in this joint practice, it was quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Joe Burrow lighting it up for their respective teams, where the defense didn't really have an answer for them. It was reminiscent of last year's regular-season meeting that ended in a 47-42 shootout win for Chicago. Williams had some nice completions to wide receivers Rome Odunze and Kalif Raymond, as well as tight end Colston Loveland (more on that below). Adam Jahns noted that the Bears offense was at its best during the red-zone drills, where they score three touchdowns. According to Bengals reporter Charlie Clifford, his "top takeaway from majority of 11 on 11s is the explosive plays from the Bears." Meanwhile, Burrow found his top wideouts Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins often, although it was Higgins that really feasted during this practice.
...But the defense also made plays
For a while there, it seemed like it was going to be an offensive-dominant joint practice. But as the team drills progressed, the Bears and Bengals turned up the heat and found success. We'll discuss what Cincinnati did, primarily their defensive line, to frustrate Chicago below. But the Bears defense made some plays against a talented Bengals offense. Rookie safety Dillon Thieneman had the play of the day for the defense when he picked off Joe Burrow. According to Adam Hoge, "Burrow forced it into tight coverage and it went off Gesicki’s hands. Thieneman was right behind to snag the ball." Elsewhere, defensive back Anthony Johnson intercepted Joe Flacco with the second-team. Chicago's defense was also able to bring some pressure on Burrow, including a sack by Daniel Hardy, and they were able to end practice on a high note getting a stop against Cincinnati.
There were a couple of minor scuffles
Usually during joint practices, tempers can flare as teams finally get an opportunity to start hitting guys that aren't on their own team. While there were a couple of minor scuffles, Thursday's joint practice wasn't upended by any big fights, which is exactly what defensive coordinator Dennis Allen preached earlier this week. The first scuffle came courtesy of right tackle Darnell Wright, who got into it with several Bengals defenders after a play. According to Ben Baby, it was "quickly broken up after some back and forth." There were also a couple of quick post-play shoves by Oren Burks in the first team period, according to Paul Dehner Jr.. A mini scuffle broke out after rookie Dillon Thieneman picked off Joe Burrow, and Dayo Odeyingbo grabbed his shoulder pad, per Mike Petraglia. But the biggest occurred when Bears receiver Ray-Ray McCloud "threw CB Josh Newton to the ground after chirping with CB Tacario Davis," per Adam Jahns. "McCloud was outnumbered for a bit until the offense came running in from the far sideline."
Caleb Williams and Colston Loveland accounted for the play of the day
It's always interesting to get an opposing view of the Bears and where they stand, and that was especially evident on a sensational completion from quarterback Caleb Williams and tight end Colston Loveland during 11-on-11 red-zone work that left one Bengals beat reporter impressed. According to Jeremy Rauch, it was an "unbelievable play by Caleb Williams" where "Dexter Lawrence beat the double team (and) had a hand in his face" and "Williams threw a laser that whizzed over Jordan Battle’s head to Colston Loveland in the endzone." It was "an impossible completion and he made it." Even Bears beat reporters, who've seen this all camp, were left impressed. Sean Hammond said: "Caleb Williams zipped one into tight coverage in the red zone. It hit Colston Loveland on the shoulder where only he could catch it. Defender was all over Loveland. Impressive pitch and catch."
Tough finish for Bears offense
For the most part, Chicago's offense had a solid day against Cincinnati's defense. But the wheels completely fell off during the final team period. According to Adam Jahns, Williams was sacked by Myles Murphy on back-to-back plays -- beating Theo Benedet on both -- where one was a safety before Williams tossed an interception to Jalen Davis over the middle to end practice. Patrick Finley noted that the offense was completely "dominated" by the Bengals defense in that final series.
Dexter Lawrence was a problem for Bears offense
There was no player who gave the Bears offense more fits than Bengals defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, who was "a serious problem," according to Adam Jahns. Lawrence was disruptive all practice, where he was getting interior pressure, near "sacks" and had the play of the day when he tipped a pass of Caleb Williams' and then hauled it in for an interception. According to Jeremy Rauch, the Bengals defense "showed the impact that Dexter Lawrence will have on every single snap. Sean Hammond believes that Lawrence is going to completely transform the Bengals defense. It was great for the Bears offense to deal with Lawrence in this joint practice setting and should provide plenty of valuable learning experiences.
Heard ya wanted to see this. pic.twitter.com/wvbDn5Q4Pu
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 20, 2026
Bears offensive line struggled
The Bears offensive line is one of the biggest strengths of the team, but they struggled mightily against a revamped Bengals defensive front, particularly in pass protection. According to Nicholas Moreano, it was an overall tough day for the offensive line, which allowed a lot of pressure. It was especially rough for the interior, per Sean Hammond. Chicago's offensive line, which allowed the second-fewest sacks last season, gave up multiple sacks on Caleb Williams during this practice, including on the final series of the practice. The Bears had no answer for Dexter Lawrence, who wreaked havoc along the interior, while defensive end Myles Murphy was in Williams' face often, whether it was forcing him out of the pocket or notching several "sacks." For what it's worth, Braxton Jones got the start at left tackle for the Bears, an indication that he remains the frontrunner in the competition. In fact, Adam Jahns believes the job is Jones' to lose at this point.
Starters are expected to sit for Saturday's game
Earlier this week, Bears coach Ben Johnson said that Thursday's joint practice would determine whether starters played in Saturday's preseason game. And while Johnson and the Bears have yet to announce whether the starters will see the field, the expectation is that Chicago will once again rest their starters on offense and defense. The fact that Bengals coach Zac Taylor already confirmed that they would be resting their starters was a pretty good indication that Johnson would follow suit, especially as the second-year coach believes that joint practices can be even more valuable.
Attendance report
For the first time in a long time, the Bears didn't end a practice with an injury. There was a scare early on when defensive end Jamree Kromah, the standout from the preseason opener, exited the field before returning to practice shortly after. In fact, Chicago saw the returns of a couple of players to practice, including cornerbacks Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith, as well as rookie wide receiver Zavion Thomas. The hope is the Bears can carry over that positive mojo heading into Saturday's preseason game.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 9 takeaways from Bears vs. Bengals joint practice
