If there was ever an opportunity for the Chicago Bears to quell any concerns about the offense, it’s this Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bengals rank 32nd in yards allowed per game, yards allowed per play and rushing yards allowed per game. They’re 30th in yards allowed per pass and 28th in yards allowed per carry. They rank fourth-to-last in sacks per pass and will likely be without star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson. Their third-down defense is 31st, and they’re 30th in the red zone.
It’s never that simple in the NFL. Especially on the road. Especially if the Bears struggle to contain receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins and have to play catch-up.
However, the stats tell us a cure to the red-zone ills might be found in Cincinnati. The Bears face the Green Bay Packers twice, the Detroit Lions, the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers in their final six weeks. They enter a critical stretch if they want those games to have any sort of NFC wild-card relevance. It starts with a chance to take advantage of the Bengals’ defense.
Now, on to your questions.
(Questions have been lightly edited for clarity and length)
Going into Week 9, are we any closer to an answer as to whether Caleb Williams is the QB for the next 10 years or so? – Richard G.
We’re not closer. The real issue is that we’re not further away from the worst-case scenario for the franchise, that he isn’t the quarterback for the next decade.
You can talk yourself in circles evaluating Williams at this point. It’s been only seven games with Ben Johnson as coach, but Williams ranks 21st in expected points added (EPA) per pass. Williams is better than his first-round predecessors in Chicago, but he’s 20th in passer rating. Williams has improved from his rookie season, but he hasn’t consistently matched the pre-draft hype. He has all the physical tools and we see the flashes, but shouldn’t it be better with the offense around him and one of the league’s top play callers in his ear?
Commanders fans knew last season that Jayden Daniels would be their quarterback for the next decade. Patriots fans feel that way now about their quarterback, as Drake Maye has flourished in Year 2. That answer isn’t clear in Chicago yet, but it doesn’t mean it won’t be. Different quarterbacks have different trajectories.
As my colleague Mike Sando noted this week, Jared Goff — who had vastly more experience, including a Super Bowl appearance, under his belt by the time he got with Johnson — needed a half a season to start excelling. That doesn’t necessarily mean Williams will take off starting this Sunday in Cincinnati, but it’s yet another reminder that just because some quarterbacks are clicking quicker doesn’t mean Williams won’t.
See what I mean about going in circles? Life would be easier for the Bears if we’re not doing gymnastics while pontificating about Williams. It’d mean he’s the guy.
The best result for the 2025 Bears is that by January, everyone feels good about Williams’ progress and that the franchise doesn’t have to worry about the position for a long time. We can’t say that definitively right now, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
I was expecting Ben Johnson to develop an Amon-Ra St. Brown-type player to do some damage from the slot, and I believed Luther Burden would be that player. Injuries aside, was this unrealistic? – Marissa C.
According to TruMedia, which uses Pro Football Focus’ game charting, Olamide Zaccheaus is the Bears’ leader in targets and catches from the slot — 15 receptions on 23 balls thrown his way. Zaccheaus’ 130 receiving yards from the slot rank 40th in the league. St. Brown ranks second with 31 catches for 306 yards.
Finding someone to play that role has predictably been a challenge. Rome Odunze actually has run one more route from the slot (92 total) than Zaccheaus, but has only six catches from there. Another sign that Burden needs more reps? He has seven targets from the slot, catching five of them for 76 yards. The yards-per-catch and catch percentage are better than Zaccheaus, Odunze and Moore from the slot.
Bears receiver Luther Burden has seven targets from the slot, catching five of them for 76 yards. Perry Knotts / Getty Images
Another way to get production from the slot would be better usage of rookie tight end Colston Loveland. He has three catches on six targets from the slot. He certainly has the size and route running to be a “big slot” in this offense. This also highlights the Bears’ inability to really attack the middle of the field effectively. Hopefully for the offense, this is all about still getting acclimated to the system and Johnson will be able to find a guy who pops, but it’s also asking a lot to really replicate what St. Brown does.
I’ve seen a lot of 11 personnel, some 12, and even 13 here and there (TE Durham Smythe in the backfield as a blocker). Last game, I saw a TE frequently in help mode for tackle Theo Benedet. I understood Johnson to use 12 personnel a lot. Any insight into how/why he’s using the TEs to date? They seem underutilized in the passing game. – Matt J.
Seven games into the season, the Bears have been in “12 personnel” (two tight ends, two receivers, one running back) on 29.6 percent of snaps, ninth-most in the league. Last year, they were at 19.3 percent, so we’re seeing the Johnson effect. But that’s not being reflected in the passing game. Despite having the No. 10 pick (Loveland) and a top-10-paid tight end (Cole Kmet), the Bears rank last in receiving yards by tight ends (248).
Six of the eight teams that use two tight ends more frequently than the Bears have at least 399 yards thrown to tight ends.
Team% in 12TE Rec yards
Browns
44.5
616
Falcons
43.7
339
Ravens
43
279
Packers
39.7
547
Steelers
38
436
Lions
33.3
399
Chiefs
32.8
572
Giants
32.4
413
Bears
29.6
248
The Bears are fourth in the league in rushes in “12 personnel” with 80. That’s where they’ve been utilized most, in the run game, but Loveland especially should be getting more targets from Williams. He’s too talented, and he cost too high a pick, to be predominantly a run blocker. Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle talked up Kmet’s work in the run game, and how it’ll help to have him back in the lineup, but someone who’s averaged 57.5 catches the past four seasons could also help more in the passing game.
Johnson’s offense is going to feature the run game. The pass game as a whole has been uneven. We’ve had similar discussions about Kmet in past years when asking about his target share — when the entire passing game is inconsistent, it affects everyone. When Williams can get in a rhythm from game to game, that should help the tight ends be more involved through the air.
How poorly has defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo played? So far I haven’t seen many impact plays from him and, given the injuries, he’s a big reason for the struggling defensive front. – Glen F.
Johnson was pleased with Odeyingbo’s performance in Baltimore against the run. He called it Odeyingbo’s “best game yet this season,” then added, “But on the edge, we’re still working on that.” The Bears knew one of Odeyingbo’s traits was the ability to rush from the inside, allowing him to kick to tackle on passing downs. He’s done well there, but they need more from him at defensive end.
“When we evaluated Dayo, I thought that was one of the best things that he did was the inside rush,” defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said. “We haven’t been able to use him a whole lot in there. I think we’ll see how the games play out, but that could let us be able to use him more inside.”
Odeyingbo has only one sack, two tackles for loss, three quarterback hits and one pass defensed in seven games.
Allen wouldn’t go into anything technique-wise that is limiting Odeyingbo, but said the entire pass rush is struggling to get going in part because of the game flow.
“We’ve got to get some of these games where we can get the score in a position where they’re having to throw every down,” he said. “It’s much harder to rush the passer when you’re in run-play-action downs versus when they’re in dropback mode. Our ability to affect the passer or affect the passing game, I think, has been demonstrated some in terms of third down.”
The Bears are second in the league on third down, and that’s often where Odeyingbo moves inside. The production from defensive end has to get better, though, as the Bears enter Week 9 ranked 19th in sacks per pass.
Bears-Bengals fun facts
• The all-time series is tied 6-6. The Bears have won three in a row, the longest streak in the series.
• The Bears’ last loss to Cincinnati was Oct. 25, 2009, a 45-10 defeat. Jay Cutler threw three picks and Carson Palmer threw five touchdown passes. Against his former team, Cedric Benson ran for 189 yards.
• The last time the Bears traveled to Cincinnati was 2017, a 33-7 win, the largest margin of victory of the John Fox era. Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen combined for 227 rushing yards. Mitch Trubisky threw a touchdown to Adam Shaheen.
• The Bengals are the only team in the league the Bears have not lost to in the post-Lovie Smith era.
• Joe Flacco is 2-3 all-time against the Bears. He threw four touchdowns in a 2009 Ravens win over Chicago, then lost his next three before leading a comeback win for Cleveland in 2023.
Game picks: Bears (-2.5) at Bengals, noon CT on CBS
Kevin Fishbain (6-1 straight up, 4-3 against the spread): Bengals 29, Bears 26
The threat of the Bengals’ offense against a Bears defense that hasn’t rushed the passer well enough and is giving up 6.17 yards per play (30th in the league) puts this game in shootout territory. Despite what seems like a favorable matchup, I just haven’t seen enough from the Bears’ offense — especially in the red zone — to “get right” when they might have to go shot for shot with Cincinnati.
Dan Wiederer (5-2, 5-2): Bears 32, Bengals 27
This sets up as a get-right game for the Bears offense. The Bengals, likely without star pass rusher Hendrickson, are bad against the pass and worse against the run. They rank 29th in sacks, 30th in red zone defense and 31st on third down. The sign-up sheet is open for Williams and Co. to join a track meet. The Bears defense, meanwhile, must find ways to limit Chase and then to create multiple game-changing takeaways.
Dan Pompei (5-2, 5-2): Bears 30, Bengals 27
Williams almost assuredly will bounce back against a defense that has struggled in many ways. The only issue for the Bears is if they hold Chase to fewer than a gazillion yards with their beat up cornerbacks. The Bears need Montez Sweat and the pass rush to make sure Flacco or Jake Browning don’t have too much time to throw.
Jon Greenberg (4-3, 3-4): Bears 25, Bengals 23
I’m assuming Flacco plays, though it would be funny if every Bears opponent waits until Saturday to announce its QB plans. I have no idea what’s going to happen Sunday, but shoutout to my college buddy who lives in Cincinnati, Jon Friend. That’s my wife’s favorite bit: “Jon’s friend, Jon Friend.”
Paul Dehner Jr. (Bengals beat writer): Bears 30, Bengals 27
Much of this will come down to Flacco’s ability to not just play, but reach the level he has throughout Sunday’s game. Can he sustain hits with a sprained AC joint? Remarkably, he hasn’t thrown an interception since joining the Bengals and given how much the Bears have feasted on picks a shift to Jake Browning (8 INTs) would be devastating. The Bengals defense can’t stop anyone and that trend won’t end with Johnson’s crew. Cincinnati will need a turnover or two to keep the Bears in shouting distance for the offense to post another big number. They probably get one, but feels like another game where they can’t get stops late in the game to make the difference.
