Bears @ Bengals
Final Score: Bears 27, Bengals 3
Writer: Mike Miklius (@SIRL0INofBEEF on Twitter)
My dear Chicago Bears gave us an extended look at their starters, playing Caleb Williams and the gang until halftime. Personally, I prefer this approach with young signal callers. Sure, a J.J. McCarthy situation can happen and the season is gone, but I like these low-stakes reps to get young players more comfortable. Meanwhile, Cincinnati sat their starters, which felt like the right move for them. Joe Burrow is still getting back to 100% and we know he’s been banged up in the past. I prefer my team to get reps, but not at the expense of being ready for week one. Chicago started slowly, fizzling out for the whole first quarter. Then things started moving, and Caleb Williams led the Bears to 10 halftime points thanks to a few highlight-reel plays. Meanwhile, Cincinnati struggled to keep drives going. Logan Woodside had some good moments, looking like a solid starter against the Bears’ starting defense. However, each drive stalled out and Cincy settled for three points at the half. Here’s what I saw this week.
Three Up
- Caleb Williams, second quarter – Those highlight plays you saw–the deep shots, the endzone look to Rome, and the scramble–second quarter.
- Logan Woodside, passing – Woodside threw some pretty passes including a nice early shot to Jermaine Burton.
- Rome Odunze, deep ball – Hand in his face and still made a great catch to set up a Bears score.
Three Down
- Caleb Williams, first quarter – a smattering of quick incompletions and the Bears offense looking uninspired.
- Logan Woodside, sensing pressure – Woodside took some big blindside hits that are not recommended for someone wanting a long career.
- Rome Odunze, standing in the endzone – Rome had a chance at a score, but he stood a half step too far back and was out of bounds.
Chicago Bears
Quarterback
Caleb Williams: 6/13, 75 yards, sack | carry, 7 yards
It’s always tough for me to tell exactly what I’m seeing in the preseason; was the defense playing at 100%? Was anyone important sitting? Was the defensive coordinator throwing out the good stuff or happy playing vanilla? Chicago’s offense was lackluster in the first quarter and it looks like the plan was to attempt mostly quick-hitting passes as well as some timing routes. Caleb missed his first three passes and the whole unit generally looked off. Then the second quarter started. Caleb heated up in the second quarter with a few big plays–the type we were promised out of college. There was a nifty deep shot to Tyler Scott that resulted in a 43-yard pass interference. The next drive saw another successful play deep, this time to Rome Odunze for 45. The pass was made after Caleb scrambled out of the pocket and threw against his body while still making a pinpoint strike. The drive nearly saw a touchdown pass to Odunze at the back of the endzone and did conclude with a Williams scramble for the touchdown. The slow start was a little worrisome, but Caleb still looks comfortable in the backfield and the good looks SO good. I’m excited for more.
Tyson Bagent: 7/8, 87 yards, 2 TD | carry, 10 yards
Tyson Bagent was set up well by the Bears defense, starting his first drive at the Cincy 42. He hit Tyler Scott over the middle in a tight window for 17 and the drive was capped with a four-yard pass to Dante Pettis for six–one play after Travis Homer let a sure touchdown slip through his fingers. The next drive started at Chicago’s 46 and took only four plays, two of which were Bagent passes. He hit Pettis again over the middle–maybe a little high for my liking–for 24 yards. Two plays later, Bagent hit Pettis again for 25 and the score. Bagent and Pettis had obvious chemistry and used it to go 7/8 with a drop. Bagent is a capable backup and a solid insurance plan behind Caleb Williams.
Running Back
Khalil Herbert: 5 carries, 31 yards
Herbert did most of his damage on two plays on the Bears’ first touchdown drive. He had a good run outside to pick up six and get things moving. Later that drive, he was running right before cutting it back and taking the ball opposite for a huge 21-yard gain. I saw Herbert met in the backfield at least twice and I wonder how well run blocking will hold up this season. I still think Herbert is a skilled runner and I like when the Bears put the ball in his hands.
Velus Jones Jr: 6 carries, 13 yards
Velus Jones Jr. is getting the running back treatment, and he is a talented athlete. While he looks explosive at times, I wonder if he is developing quickly enough to make this roster. Maybe in five years, we will be talking about him like Cordarelle Patterson but for now, I still don’t trust VJJ when it counts. Here’s to hoping he proves me wrong.
D’Andre Swift & Roschon Johnson: nada
I don’t recall seeing D’Andre Swift or Roschon Johnson on the field in this one. Swift has a safe spot as the presumable number one thanks to his contract and status getting rested. Roschon Johnson has failed to impress me and didn’t live up to the sleeper hype of last season, save for one or two big plays. I expect more Swift next game and Roschon is just picking at scraps.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Rome Odunze: 2 targets, 1 reception, 45 yards | 1 carry, 16 yards
Rome Odunze’s first touch was a sweep to get him an easy touch. He looked fast and got to the outside for a 16-yard gain. His first target was an impressive 45-yard grab accentuated by a defender’s hand in his face. Rome nearly finished the day off beautifully after the defense lost track of him in the back corner of the endzone. However, he stood inches too far out and it was an incomplete pass. Rome shows obvious talent and this game felt like the start of the breakout. Still, it’s tough to sit expect to produce behind two excellent veterans.
DJ Moore and Keenan Allen: 1 target each
DJ Moore and Keenan Allen each saw one target and they were not factors in this one. That’s fine. Just get to the regular season healthy and Bears fans will be happy.
Tyler Scott: 1 target, 1 reception, 17 yards
Tyler Scott had one catch but almost another. Scott broke free while playing with Caleb and had a sure touchdown. Caleb might’ve been a little late on the throw, and the play instead resulted in a long pass interference call after Scott was pulled to the ground. Scott is interesting in this offense; he has speed and he isn’t suffering the pile of mental mistakes that plague Velus Jones. I expect he has two or three blowup games but won’t show consistency in a loaded offense.
Dante Pettis: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 53 yards, 2 TD
Dante Pettis had a clear connection with backup quarterback Tyson Bagent. He capped their first drive with a short touchdown before making a pair of 20+ yard grabs on the next drive, the second of which ended with six.
Cole Kmet: 1 target, 1 reception, 9 yards
Gerald Everett: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 10 yards
The Bears have made a clear effort to involve Gerald Everett and the results have been uninspiring. Everett is fine, but nothing to get excited about here even if Chicago was in desperate need of weapons.
Cincinnati Bengals
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Quarterback
Logan Woodside: 17/25, 132 yards, 2 INT, 2 sacks | carry, 7 yards
Logan Woodside had a mixed showing against Chicago. Considering he was playing the Bears’ starters, he did a good job at time dissecting the defense and taking what he was given. There was a nice pass on the first drive where Woodside had to step up in the pocket and deliver a clean pass. There was another great pass later when Woodside stepped up and hit Jermaine Burton for 19. However, Woodside also had some bad; he took two blindside hits that cleaned his clocks. The second of these plays resulted in a ball high up in the air and an interception. Woodside threw one more pick on the day. There was some good, but the bad was equally bad. Come back soon Joe Burrow.
Rocky Lombardi: 4/8, 33 yards | 2 carries, 4 yards, fumble
Running Back
Trayveon Williams: 6 carries, 22 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 19 yards
Williams didn’t have much room to work but looked good when given the blocking on an 11-yard gain on the team’s second drive. Most importantly here, he was the clear first back on this list. He had two catches and almost a third called back due to linemen downfield.
Elijah Collins: 8 carries, 21 | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards
Collins was next in the game and started with a pair of five-yard carries. He didn’t find much space after that. Collins also had a pair of receptions and it looks safe to say Cincinnati wants to throw to its backs.
Noah Cain: 8 carries, 28 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 10 yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Kwamie Lassiter: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 33 yards
Lassiter was the most peppered target for Cincy early and he made a nice grab for 15 in the second quarter. Most of his looks outside that play were short.
Jermaine Burton: 1 target, 1 reception, 19 yards
Jermaine Burton was involved in the passing play of the day for Cincinnati when his QB handled pressure well and found him for 19.
Tanner McLachlan: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 19 yards
Cole Burgess: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 19 yards
Tanner Hudson: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 16 yards
Shedrick Jackson: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 10 yards
Cincinnati finished with 165 passing yards and I’ll be honest: most of them didn’t feel too consequential. We know Joe Burrow is the QB, Ja’Marr Chase is the top target, and Tee Higgins is the number two. Mike Gesicki starts at tight end and as I mentioned earlier, the backs should see a healthy workload. Outside of that, I imagine most of these names are fighting for scraps.