The Chicago Bears have a tough matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, where they’ll be looking to bounce back after a tough loss to the Baltimore Ravens, who were without Lamar Jackson.
This week, the 3-5 Bengals await them without Joe Burrow. To avoid a Groundhog Day feeling, they have to be much more ready to play on both sides of the ball. With head coach Ben Johnson at the helm, it is fair to be confident in their ability to do that.
Seven players, in particular, need to step up if they want to take care of their business in this one.
QB Caleb Williams
If we are being honest, quarterback Caleb Williams hasn’t been up to par in recent weeks. The Bears have found ways to win some of those, but a franchise quarterback is supposed to leave no doubt. Williams wasn’t necessarily bad last week against the Ravens, but he didn’t throw a touchdown pass, and he threw an interception at the worst possible time. Williams doesn’t throw picks often, but one that effectively ended the game is always going to sting. The Bengals have a lousy defense. They allowed Justin Fields and the lowly Jets to beat them by scoring 38 points. If Williams can’t at least come close to matching that, the Bears have big problems.
WR Rome Odunze
For Williams to have success, he needs wide receiver Rome Odunze to be at his best. That means running good routes, listening to what Ben Johnson instructs him to do, and catching balls that are thrown his way. We’ve seen Odunze be a game-changer in the early stages of the season. They need him to be at his best in this game against the Bengals.
CB Tyrique Stevenson
Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson is going to be back in the lineup for this game, and he is expected to be one of the key pieces of the secondary. Whether it’s Joe Flacco or Jake Browning under center for the Bengals, they need him to play well. So far this year, after Week 2, there has been no reason not to trust Stevenson, but he’ll face the daunting task of defending Ja’Marr Chase. It’s almost impossible to contain Chase, but Stevenson will look to limit him as much as possible.
NCB C.J. Gardner-Johnson
The Bears made a move to improve their injury-riddled secondary with the addition of C.J. Gardner-Johnson earlier this week, and he’ll be making his Chicago debut this Sunday against the Bengals. Gardner-Johnson previously played under Dennis Allen in New Orleans, so he has some familiarity with how Allen runs his defense. He also has experience playing in the slot, which is where he’ll line up with Kyler Gordon on injured reserve with a groin injury.
DE Austin Booker
Defensive end Austin Booker will make his season debut against the Bengals, where he returns from injured reserve after missing the first seven games due to a knee injury. Booker was a force to be reckoned with in the preseason before suffering that knee injury, and the Bears pass rush has certainly missed him as they’re one of the least effective in getting after the quarterback. We’ll see how big of an impact Booker can make as the primary rotational edge rusher behind Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo.
TE Cole Kmet
Tight end Cole Kmet is also making his return to the field. The Bears have not used their tight ends like we expected when Ben Johnson was first hired, but that can change in an instant. Kmet and rookie Colston Loveland are important pieces to this Bears offense. Kmet is the elder statesman on the team, so you’d think he leads the way while he’s there. Forming a high-end two-tight-end set could help Chicago move the ball more easily. That would certainly take pressure off of Williams and Odunze in different ways.
DE Montez Sweat
Defensive end Montez Sweat made a big play early with a strip sack against the Ravens, and then he mostly disappeared. He gets double-teamed because the Bears don’t have much help around him, but so do plenty of other elite game-changing edge rushers around the league. The Bengals are known for having a bad offensive line. That plays into Joe Burrow getting hurt as often as he does because he’s always hitting the ground. Well, this is Montez Sweat’s chance to make either Flacco or Browning feel the same level of pressure behind that bad Bengals line.
