The Chicago Bears emerged from their third preseason game Saturday with a 27-3 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals. Here’s our rundown of the game. Caleb Williams needed a little while to warm up in his first appearance at Soldier Field, but the Bears eventually found their rhythm as coach Matt Eberflus allowed the offensive starters to play until halftime.
Williams’ biggest play came on the starters’ fifth and final drive, when he circled away from pressure and launched a beautiful 45-yard pass to Rome Odunze down the left sideline to the 7-yard line. On the next play, Williams danced around pressure from defensive end Justin Blazek and rifled a pass to Odunze. The rookie caught it but didn’t realize his feet were just outside the back of the end zone.
Two plays later, Williams did another dance around the pocket before cruising in for a 7-yard touchdown and a 10-0 Bears lead. The Bears offense was playing against Bengals backups — coach Zac Taylor determined earlier in the week to sit his starters. But it still was a productive experience for Williams, who finished his day 6 of 13 for 75 yards and the touchdown run.
The Bears went three-and-out with 16 yards of offense on their first three series. But they heated up on the fourth drive, when Odunze had a 16-yard carry and Tyler Scott benefited from a 43-yard pass-interference penalty against Bengals cornerback Josh Newton. Cairo Santos made a 37-yard field goal for the first points of the day.
Williams had thre.