Ben Johnson didn’t waste much time softening the blow after the Bears’ 27-9 preseason loss in Cincinnati. He treated it like what it was: a bad night.
Chicago walked out of Saturday expecting a routine exhibition and instead delivered a mess - 11 penalties, repeated failures on third down and no touchdowns despite getting into Bengals territory several times. The final score won’t touch the standings, but the way the Bears played clearly stuck with their head coach.
“Overall, it doesn’t matter if it’s preseason or not,” Johnson said during his postgame press conference. “It’s a bad feeling in that locker room after the game when you lose, particularly like that when it’s down by multiple scores.”
That blunt response fit the performance. The Bears didn’t just lose; they kept beating themselves.
The numbers tell the story fast. Chicago was flagged 11 times for 81 yards.
The offense converted only two of 14 third downs. Cincinnati went 6-for-13 on third down against the Bears’ defense.
And after all that, Chicago still never reached the end zone, settling for three field goals instead.
Johnson pointed directly to the penalties and the wasted chances near the goal line.
“They really hurt us in the first half, and we weren’t able to get those cleaned up there in the second half,” Johnson said of the penalties. “When you add in the red zone, the fact that we were able to move the ball at times OK, but we couldn’t end up with touchdowns, those are major killers when you’re facing a good team like that.”
The “good team” part was generous, given that Cincinnati sat Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and most of its top players.
Chicago’s first offense came out against Bengals reserves and drove to the 17-yard line. Then Braxton Jones was hit with a holding penalty, and the possession unraveled into a first-and-20. Three straight incompletions followed, and Cairo Santos had to bail out the drive with a 45-yard field goal.
That sequence summed up the night perfectly: a little progress, a self-inflicted setback and an empty finish.
The preseason label can hide a lot, but it can’t hide habits. A missed tackle in August still turns into a touchdown.
A holding penalty still wrecks a drive. Third-and-long still puts an offense in trouble.
The Bears ran straight into all of it against Cincinnati, and the problems showed up in every phase.
Chicago’s offense couldn’t stay on the field. The defense had trouble getting off it.
The special teams unit was part of the sloppy overall picture. Nothing about the loss looked clean.
And Johnson’s reaction matters because of where this team is supposed to be now. The Bears won the NFC North last season and beat Green Bay in the wild-card round.
That changes the temperature around nights like this. An 11-penalty game and a 2-for-14 showing on third down can’t be brushed off as August noise.
Chicago has one preseason game left, against the Tennessee Titans. The score will probably not mean much there either. The Bears’ response to this one will.
In Other News...
Bengals Future Left Tackle Answer May Already Be Taking Shape
The Bengals long-term search for a left tackle is already starting to look ahead to the 2027 draft, and that class is shaping up as a promising place to hunt. CBS Sports writer Mike Renner recently labeled the offensive tackle group as a strong one, pointing to several prospects who could land in the top rounds and giving the Cincinnati front office a future pool worth monitoring.
Jordan Seaton and Lance Heard are among the names already surfacing as possible fits, with Renner breaking down what each player has shown in college and where the rough edges still are. For a Bengals team expected to keep left tackle on the shopping list, that kind of early evaluation matters, because the answer to a major roster question may be closer to arriving than it first seemed. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Win Couldnt Hide One Roster Concern As Cuts Near
The Bengals preseason win over the Bears on Aug. 22 gave Zac Taylor a look at the bottom of the roster after he chose not to play his starters following the joint practice, and it also sharpened the focus on one of the teams biggest remaining concerns. The offense held up well enough to finish the night with a victory, but the tackle spots were a problem area, with veterans Cody Ford and Jalen Rivers both having rough outings.
Dohnte Meyers was one of the bright spots, making five catches and adding work on kick and punt returns to strengthen his case as cuts approach. Still, for a Cincinnati team trying to sort out the final pieces of its roster, the performance up front left more questions than answers, especially with depth at offensive tackle now looking like a position the front office will have to keep weighing carefully. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Preseason Win Just Fueled Some Tough Roster Battles
The Bengals second preseason game brought plenty of encouraging tape from a 27-9 win over the Bears, and it also sharpened a few roster conversations that were already simmering. Cincinnati got useful work from players trying to carve out roles, with Colbie Young, Dohnte Meyers, Josh Johnson and Tanner Hudson among those drawing attention in the evaluative breakdown, while Landon Robinson also stood out in the kind of performance coaches notice this time of year.
On the other side of the ball, Al Goldens defense continued to give the staff something to build on, and Evan McPherson added his own reassuring touch in a game that had the Bengals looking deeper than the final score. Preseason wins are never just about the scoreboard, but nights like this tend to leave a lasting impression when the back end of the roster starts coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]