What We Saw: Week 9

A wild fourth quarter in Cincinnati highlighted Week 9 action. We watched every game so you don't have to – Here's What We Saw!

Brett Ford
What We Saw 15 Hours Ago
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Introduction
Ravens @ Dolphins
Bears @ Bengals
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Chicago Bears @ Cincinnati Bengals

Final Score: Bears 47, Bengals 42

Writer:Brett Ford (@FadeThatMan)

 

Fans of defense, avert your eyes (or go read Denver at Houston)! The Chicago Bears visited the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday for one of the most exciting games this season. For Bengals fans, I’m not sure there’s ever been more demoralizing losses on back-to-back weeks — and Bengals fans have been through A LOT of bad seasons. After falling to the New York Jets at home a week ago, the Cincinnati defense collapsed once again, allowing 47 points to fall to 3-6 on the season.

The Bears led by 14 points with 4:53 remaining and Joe Flacco threw what looked to be a pick that would essentially end the game with 2:45 to play. Well, it was far from over. The Bears did their absolute best to give the game away, allowing the Bengals to score a touchdown, recover an onside kick and score again within the final 2 minutes to take a 42-41 lead. The Bears had a chance to mount a go-ahead drive with 54 seconds to play, and Caleb Williams delivered. After a 12-yard scramble on a long third down to keep hope alive, Williams fired a strike down the seam to Colston Loveland, who bounced off a tackler and rumbled 58 yards for the decisive score with 17 seconds to play. This game was absolutely wild. Let’s dig in.

Four Up

  • Tee Higgins — Flacco finally figured out that guys other than Ja’Marr Chase are allowed to catch the football.
  • Joe Flacco — He didn’t deserve to lose this game. He did everything right. Maybe it’s time to suit him up on defense, too.
  • Kyle Monangai — Guys, the preseason hype was real.
  • Colston Loveland — Cole Kmet was back but nobody noticed — Loveland was the hero with a massive two-score game.

Two Down

  • Rome Odunze — 47 points, 74 offensive snaps, 22 completions, not a single yard gained for Odunze.
  • Ja’Marr Chase — Wait, how is this being ruled a down game? Well, he only got eight targets.

 

Chicago Bears

 

Quarterback

 

Caleb Williams: 20/34, 280 Yards, 3 TDs | 5 Carries, 53 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 22 Yards, TD

Say what you will about Caleb Williams, but he made plays when it mattered. The final drive of the game was an incredibly clutch moment. Not only was the throw to Colston Loveland something that only a handful of quarterbacks in the NFL have the arm talent to pull off, the running play to gain the first down the play before was excellent, as he used his athleticism to beat the rush and reach the line to gain. Williams started the day with a receiving score of all things, pulling in a Philly Special touchdown reception from DJ Moore in the first quarter. He finished with two receptions (I told you this game was crazy) for 22 yards and a score.

Williams had a solid game all around, with the only notable problem being that he didn’t feed his top wide receiver at all. Maybe it was the missed reps in practice (Rome Odunze missed Wednesday and was limited Thursday), but they just couldn’t connect at all in this one. It was a huge esteem game for the second-year quarterback, who had struggled recently entering this one. This could be the game that turns the trajectory of his season.

 

Running Back

 

Kyle Monangai: 26 Carries, 176 Yards | 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 22 yards

Holy handoffs, Batman! Kyle Monangai got all the carries he could handle in this one, toting the rock 26 times for 176 yards against a leaky Bengals defense. Monangai started the second half with a bad drop on a ball in the flat, but that was one of his only blemishes on the day. He did lose a touchdown opportunity to his backup, but fantasy managers certainly can’t be upset about this performance. One of his best rushes of the day came in the fourth quarter as the Bears were trying to close out the game (the first time). He took a pitch outside, read his blocks well and made multiple tacklers miss in the second and third level.

 

Brittain Brown: 5 Carries, 37 Yards, TD | 1 Target

Good for Brittain Brown, I guess. He effectively ruined Monangai’s breakout by making an outstanding play for a 22-yard touchdown run. It was one of just five carries that came on only 14 snaps. A clear backup, he made the most of his opportunity.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Rome Odunze: 3 Targets

He was targeted just twice in the first half, finishing with no receptions. Then in the second half, Williams missed an easy touchdown to Rome Odunze after his ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage. He wasn’t fully healthy this week, but he was healthy enough to play. Shoot, he was on the field for all 80 snaps, so it’s not like there’s reason to believe he was playing hurt. The usage just wasn’t there. It’s crazy that the Bears’ top weapon would be completely eliminated from producing, but that’s what happened here. A strange, stinging outlier performance.

 

DJ Moore: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 72 Yards | 1 Carry, 17 Yards, TD | 1/1, 2 yards, TD

DJ Moore‘s line was one of the strangest for a wide receiver I’ve seen in a long time — a rushing touchdown and a passing score? Yeah, well they still count as fantasy points. Moore was used in several ways and with D’Andre Swift missing time, he could see more handoffs out of the backfield. He got EXTREMELY lucky on his touchdown rush, reaching for the pylon and losing the football … just AFTER he crossed the goal line. Moore was inches away from Emari Demercado territory, but instead got the score. Even with Odunze finishing without a reception, Moore garnered just six targets. The volume (or lack thereof) continues to be a concern, though he definitely hit closer to his ceiling on Sunday against the Bengals.

Colston Loveland: 7 Targets, 6 Receptions, 118 Yards, 2 TDs

Colston Loveland was having a really nice game before the final drive even started. And then, he did this:

Loveland benefited from an injury to Cole Kmet in the second quarter. The veteran left with concussion symptoms, but was out snapping the rookie 19-18 over the Bears’ first three drives. It’s undeniable that Loveland’s performance should help him gain more playing time, but don’t count Kmet out completely, he’ll surely still factor into this offense.

 

Olamide Zaccheaus: 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 58 Yards, TD

Olamide Zaccheaus continues to thrive in this offense, earning a team-high eight targets including some designed plays. He took a pitch pass for a touchdown on a gadget look, gaining the edge and turning upfield for the score. His involvement seems to be built in, and as much as we’ve talked about Luther Burden III taking his spot, the way that Ben Johnson continues to scheme Zaccheaus looks makes it hard to believe that Burden would pass him on the depth chart.

 

Cole Kmet: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 10 Yards

 

Cincinnati Bengals

 

Quarterback

 

Joe Flacco: 31/47, 470 Yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs | 1 Carry, -1 Yards

Age is just a number. So is passing yardage. And fantasy points. All the numbers for Joe Flacco on Sunday were elite as he carved the Bears’ secondary like a Thanksgiving turkey a few weeks early. Flacco made a bad read and throw, hitting the linebacker square in the chest in the red zone for what appeared to be a game-sealing pick with just over 2 minutes to play. But he made good on his next two chances for a career day. You can’t say enough good things about the way that Flacco has unlocked his potential with the Bengals. After being limited to short-range West Coast-style throws in Cleveland, Flacco is being asked to do whatever it takes in Cincinnati. The Bengals may not be winning games, but at least their offense is fun.

 

Running Back

 

Samaje Perine: 1 Carry, 5 Yards

Samaje Perine left the game early with an ankle injury, clearing the way for Chase Brown to have a massive role.

 

Chase Brown: 11 Carries, 37 Yards | 14 Targets, 8 Receptions, 75 Yards

With Perine out of the picture, Chase Brown‘s role exploded — especially in the passing game. The running back was targeted a season-high 14 times, pulling in eight catches for 75 yards. It would have been nice for fantasy managers if he could have found the painted area, but the volume itself is enough to warrant some excitement, particularly if Perine misses extended time.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Ja’Marr Chase: 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 111 Yards

Ja’Marr Chase was good, but not the elite level that we’ve grown accustomed to since Flacco joined the Bengals a few weeks ago. The amazing streak of incredible volume came to an end, kind of. Chase still reached 100 yards receiving albeit on significantly less volume. He can’t be the WR1 every week, can he? Perhaps the most interesting thing about Chase’s game was the postgame quotes afterwards. As much as anybody would be, Chase seems fed up with the Bengals’ defense:

 

Tee Higgins: 9 Targets, 7 Receptions, 121 Yards, 2 TDs

Tee Higgins was a monster, showing off a huge catch radius and elite hands for a massive day, including a pair of touchdown catches. His one weakness reared its ugly head late in the game — his durability (or lack thereof). He left the game in the fourth quarter with what appeared to be an injury, but with the Bengals on the bye next week has some time to heal up. If he misses a game or two, Andrei Iosivas and Noah Fant become much more fantasy-relevant with a lot of usage in the passing game opening up.

 

Noah Fant: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 28 Yards, TD

Noah Fant split time with Drew Sample, taking 31 snaps to Sample’s 30 while Tanner Hudson chipped in with 11 snaps. Fant was on the field running routes in garbage time, and managed to pull in a touchdown reception in the final 2 minutes as the Bengals scrambled to come back. Flacco did a nice job to look the safety outside and then came back to his tight end in the seam for the score.

 

Mitchell Tinsley: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 27 yards

We had a Mitchell Tinsley sighting! The rookie wide receiver made a big catch for 28 yards, battling through DPI to reel in the play and set the Bengals up for a touchdown on the 1-yard line.

 

Andrei Iosivas: 7 Targets, 5 Receptions, 66 Yards, TD | 1 carry, 5 Yards

Andrei Iosivas was the clear third receiver, and was on the field for more than 80% of snaps. He ran a lot of routes and has clearly gained the trust of Flacco, who is happy to go to the tertiary receiver when his top two options are covered. Iosivas caught a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to give the Bengals a brief lead, finding a soft spot in what looked like a zone defense in the red zone.

Series Navigation
Introduction
Ravens @ Dolphins
Bears @ Bengals
Vikings @ Lions
Panthers @ Packers
Chargers @ Titans
Falcons @ Patriots
49ers @ Giants
Colts @ Steelers
Broncos @ Texans
Jaguars @ Raiders
Saints @ Rams
Chiefs @ Bills
Seahawks @ Commanders