CINCINNATI — Chaos. Pandemonium. Colston Loveland.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams hit Loveland over the middle at the Cincinnati Bengals’ 39 with 22 seconds left. Loveland bounced off several Bengals’ defenders before making a heroic run to the end zone.
This came after the Bengals scored a touchdown with 1:43 left, picked up the two-point conversion, recovered an onside kick and then scored a touchdown with 53 seconds left to take the lead.
Kyle Monangai exceeded 100 yards on the ground early in the second half, totalling 176 yards on 26 carries. The team eclipsed 200 yards rushing on Brittain Brown’s first career rushing touchdown with 2:03 left in the third. It’s the Bears’ second 200-plus yards rushing effort of the season after gaining 222 yards on the ground in Week 7 against the New Orleans Saints.
Caleb Williams wasn’t the most efficient quarterback, but he had a heck of a day as a receiver. Williams became the first quarterback (QB only) to catch two passes in a game since Bob Celeri of the Dallas Texans did so on October 26, 1952.
Williams’ first career catch came on the Bears’ first touchdown of the game, after a double-reverse from Rome Odunze and DJ Moore left the Bengals’ defense scrambling. Moore hit a wide-open Williams in the front-right corner of the endzone.
His second came via another trick play where Williams threw a lateral pass to backup quarterback Tyson Bagent, who sent the ball back across the field to an open Williams for a 16-yard gain.
The Bears’ defense struggled through most of the game, allowing Joe Flacco to pick up passing yards. But the unit still forced three turnovers, with Austin Booker forcing a strip sack and Tremaine Edmunds intercepting Flacco late in the fourth quarter near the goal line. Nahshon Wright intercepted Flacco’s Hail Mary attempt.
Patrick Norton
That was insane. Plain and simple.
Ben Johnson smiled on the sideline late in the game. The Bears’ rushing attack gave him plenty of reasons to do so. Kyle Monangai was sensational, hitting the hole with authority from the very first drive. On the Bears’ second drive, it was all Monangai, who ran the ball seven times on the first 10 plays of the drive. He picked up a reception on one of the other three plays. Brittain Brown scoring a touchdown on his third career carry was a great moment for the 2022 seventh-round pick.
The defense wasn’t particularly sharp, but it applied a bit more pressure in the second half. After all, Chase Brown, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins make up a very tough core of skill players to defend.
Adam Hoge
[Written before the final two minutes] While this win was far from perfect, it was really encouraging to see Ben Johnson lean on rookie running back Kyle Monangai and run the offense through him. Good teams find multiple ways to win, and the Bears did exactly that in Cincinnati. The defense also came up big with the takeaways to close out the game. Shoutout to Austin Booker, who provided the pass rush spark off the bench and forced the sack/strip on Joe Flacco — one of the biggest plays of the game.
Mark Carman
This was the most bizarre game in recent Bear memory. An easy win went to a disaster season-crushing loss, to the Colston Loveland Caleb Williams miracle moment. You still had to sweat out the final 17 seconds and the Hail Mary. Credit Dennis Allen for sending pressure and credit the Bears for getting to 5-3 in one of the more bizarre games since…Washington and Detroit last year.
Adam Jahns
Tight end Colston Loveland arrived on a crazy day in Cincinnati. His 58-yard touchdown catch in the final minute won’t be forgotten anytime soon. He pinballed off would-be tacklers for the catch-and-run score off a laser down the seam from quarterback Caleb Williams. It gave the Bears the win after the Bengals scored two touchdowns to take a 42-41 lead.
It wasn’t just a breakout game but a statement game for Loveland. He can be a difference-maker in the Bears’ offense. Loveland finished with six catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
Do you know what else made a difference? Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen blitzed on quarterback Joe Flacco’s Hail Mary attempt. Flacco’s final heave never had a chance before it was intercepted by cornerback Nahshon Wright.
Greg Braggs Jr.
Never Say Die Bears.
Last year’s Bears team would lose this game. They would’ve lost the Raiders game. They would’ve lost the Commanders game. This team? Somehow, someway found a way to win.
Colston Loveland? Welcome to the NFL.
Kyle Monangai? Welcome to the NFL.
Caleb Williams? 3 TDs. We’ll take that.
Ben Johnson? Nearly 600 yards of offense and yet they STILL have much to clean up.
It’s never easy with the Bears, but damn are they fun with Ben Johnson and the explosiveness that is this Bears’ offense.
