Flacco’s 470 passing yards, Higgins 2 TDs not enough as Bengals drop shootout to Bears, 47-42

The Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears totaled 21 points inside the final 1:43 of regulation, but it was the visitors who had the final say as the Bengals dropped their second-straight game, 47-42, at Paycor Stadium Sunday afternoon.Cincinnati enters their bye week at 3-6 and have allowed 500 or more yards in consecutive games for the first time since the 2018 season.After being on the wrong end of a 15-point comeback last week, the Cincinnati Bengals thought they had exorcised some demons two days after Halloween, scoring 15 points in a span of 49 seconds in the fourth quarter, but they couldn’t hang on, instead falling for the second-straight week despite scoring more than 30 points.Here’s what to know about what went down Sunday.So Much Went Right When It Needed To…The Bengals needed points, and fast. Chicago had just scored to take a 41-27 lead, after Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor’s challenge backfired: He thought D.J. Moore had fumbled through the endzone, which would have resulted in a touchback and the Bengals ball.Instead, it was deemed that Moore actually broke the plain before losing the ball, and was awarded a touchdown, giving the Bears a 14-point lead.Driving to respond, Joe Flacco and the Bengals offense were running the two-minute drill well (despite there still being nearly five minutes on the clock). A 24-yard pass to Ja’Marr Chase and a 21-yard connection with Chase Brown helped set Cincinnati up at the Chicago five yardline.Looking for Brown again, Flacco threw the ball his way, only for the route to be undercut by Tremaine Edmunds and returned the other way 96 yards for a touchdown.Or, so everyone thought.Upon review, it was determined that Edmunds had been touched on his way to the ground, making him down by contact and giving the Bears the possession in the shadow of their own endzone. Three plays later, they punted.That’s when the fireworks started.Flacco and the Bengals took no time to get back on the board, with a four-play, 32 second drive was capped off when Noah Fant ran up the seam unnoticed and ended up with the ball in the back of the endzone. After a good two-point conversion, to Tee Higgins, the Bengals trailed by six, 41-35. On the ensuing kickoff, Cincinnati recovered their first onside kick since December 2019, and did not let it go to waste. Flacco found Higgins for 12 and 23-yards on successive plays to set the Bengals up at the Bears’ 45 yardline.Three plays later, Flacco found Andrei Iosivas in the end zone to give the Bengals a 42-41 lead.15 points in 49 seconds. After being on the wrong side of a 15-point fourth quarter comeback a week ago, it was almost party time in Paycor. All the Bengals needed to do was hang on for 54 seconds. …But It Still Didn’t MatterIt was a task that proved too big to meet for the Bengals defense, who continue to struggle to stop the opposition.After forcing a pair of incompletions, Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams was able to move the chains on a 14-yard scramble. On the next snap, he delivered the dagger, as Williams connected with rookie tight end Colston Loveland.Catching the ball between four Bengals defenders, Loveland bounced off two of them and turned on the jets for the game winning score.The 58-yard touchdown sucked the air out of the stadium, wiped a smile off of Taylor’s face he was showing less than a minute before and opened the box to question what there is to play for the rest of the season as the Bengals enter their bye week three games under .500.Chicago leaves the banks of the Ohio River totaling 576 yards of offense and converting on their red zone opportunities: Entering the game as the No. 26 red zone offense in the league, the Bears weren’t 4-for-6 on scoring opportunities from inside the 20. Cincinnati’s defense was down Trey Hendrickson and Logan Wilson (who’s playing time may not have mattered if he had been healthy), but the issues persist: Too many big plays allowed and too many tackles were missed.According to NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Cincinnati’s defense missed a total of 15 tackles for 133 additional yards Sunday afternoon.It continued a disturbing trend, in which the Bengals entered the game having missed 94 tackles for 645 yards, both of which led the NFL. Ground And PoundChicago entered the game down to their third and fourth string running backs, with D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson inactive due to injury. Facing the NFL’s worst rush defense, it went about as well as you’d expect.The Bengals rush defense continued to struggle Sunday afternoon, allowing the Bears to rush for 283 yards, led by rookie Kyle Monangai, who led all rushers with 176 yards on 26 carries.To counter, the Bengals…well, didn’t. Cincinnati totaled 46 yards on the ground, on 15 attempts, with Chase Brown getting 11 of those rushes, totaling 37 yards.Samaje Perine exited the game in the first half after sustaining an injury in the first half.Tee Is For TouchdownNo, I didn’t take this from the Bengals official account.(Okay, I totally took it from the official Bengals account. Thank you, admin.)After getting just two targets last week, Flacco relied on Higgins was the most important member of the Bengals receiving corps. Sunday, leading all receivers by hauling in seven balls for 121 yards on nine targets.He also continued his habit of scoring highlight reel touchdowns.On Cincinnati’s first offensive touchdown of the day, Higgins was able to work around Chicago’s Nahshon Wright, tip toe the sideline, and walk into the end zone, giving the Bengals a 20-17 lead.His second came in the third quarter, also to give the Bengals a lead. With the ball at the two yardline, Flacco found Higgins in the flat and, after fighting off a hand on his waist by C.J. Gardner-Johnson, fell forward enough to hit the pylon.After he was initially ruled down short of the goalline, he was awarded the touchdown when the officials got together to talk it out. It wasn’t just touchdowns where Higgins showed his worth.No. 5 was on the receiving end of a two-point conversion following a Noah Fant touchdown that made it a six-point game inside of two minutes to play. He also was integral in the Bengals final scoring drive, but was injured on his 23-yard reception and didn’t return to the game after that point. Critical MistakesThe Bengals had enough difficulty stopping the Bears on offense, but some of those problems were aided by unforced errors.Early in the first quarter, the Bengals thought they had forced Caleb Williams off the field, after he was sacked on a third and 10 by Joseph Ossai. But, a penalty against Demetrius Knight for illegal contact down field erased the sack and gave the Bears a fresh set of downs.Seven plays later, Chicago ran a double-reverse trick play that ended when D.J. Moore found Williams in the endzone for a touchdown, tying the game at 7-7.On the next drive, the Bengals forced a Chicago field goal from 47 yards out, which went wide right, but D.J. Ivey was lined up offsides.The Bears opted to take the points off the board, converted a fourth and one, and two plays later, scored on a 15-yard pitch-and-catch from Williams to Olamide Zaccheaus, giving the Bears a 14-10 lead.Add that to the Bengals inability to bring down Chicago’s ball carriers, and it was a tough day for Al Golden’s unit.But it wasn’t just the defensive side of the ball that had problems.Cincinnati’s first two drives of the fourth quarter, a quarter that stared with the Bengals trailing 31-27, ended with the Bengals turning the ball over.Chicago took their four-point lead with under two minutes to play in the third quarter, on a Brittain Brown 22-yard touchdown rush, and the Bengals were looking to drive to respond.On the first play of the fourth quarter, Flacco was sacked by Austin Booker. As Flacco was going to the ground, he lost control of the football, and Chicago recovered. Cincinnati’s defense stood tall, keeping the Bears out of the end zone for the first time in the half, and instead forcing a Chicago field goal, which extended the visitor’s lead to 34-27.On the ensuing drive, the Bengals moved just 38 yards on 13 plays and looked to respond Chicago’s field goal with one of their own, but a 54-yard attempt from Evan McPherson died in the wind and fell in the back of the endzone, short of the crossbar, keeping the Bengals off the board. On the drive that followed, Chicago took just two plays to threaten the score. D.J. Moore rushed for 16 yards before being shoved out of bounds at the goal line, losing the ball as he extended to the goalline.Zac Taylor challenged, thinking the ball was fumbled through the endzone which would have resulted in a touchback. Instead, the review overturned the play to a touchdown for the Bears, giving Moore a 17-yard touchdown rush and pushing the Bears’ lead to 41-27. The Bengals now have a week to regroup before they return to action in two weeks against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears totaled 21 points inside the final 1:43 of regulation, but it was the visitors who had the final say as the Bengals dropped their second-straight game, 47-42, at Paycor Stadium Sunday afternoon.

Cincinnati enters their bye week at 3-6 and have allowed 500 or more yards in consecutive games for the first time since the 2018 season.

After being on the wrong end of a 15-point comeback last week, the Cincinnati Bengals thought they had exorcised some demons two days after Halloween, scoring 15 points in a span of 49 seconds in the fourth quarter, but they couldn’t hang on, instead falling for the second-straight week despite scoring more than 30 points.

Here’s what to know about what went down Sunday.

So Much Went Right When It Needed To…

The Bengals needed points, and fast. Chicago had just scored to take a 41-27 lead, after Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor’s challenge backfired: He thought D.J. Moore had fumbled through the endzone, which would have resulted in a touchback and the Bengals ball.

Instead, it was deemed that Moore actually broke the plain before losing the ball, and was awarded a touchdown, giving the Bears a 14-point lead.

Driving to respond, Joe Flacco and the Bengals offense were running the two-minute drill well (despite there still being nearly five minutes on the clock). A 24-yard pass to Ja’Marr Chase and a 21-yard connection with Chase Brown helped set Cincinnati up at the Chicago five yardline.

Looking for Brown again, Flacco threw the ball his way, only for the route to be undercut by Tremaine Edmunds and returned the other way 96 yards for a touchdown.

Or, so everyone thought.

Upon review, it was determined that Edmunds had been touched on his way to the ground, making him down by contact and giving the Bears the possession in the shadow of their own endzone. Three plays later, they punted.

That’s when the fireworks started.

Flacco and the Bengals took no time to get back on the board, with a four-play, 32 second drive was capped off when Noah Fant ran up the seam unnoticed and ended up with the ball in the back of the endzone. After a good two-point conversion, to Tee Higgins, the Bengals trailed by six, 41-35.

On the ensuing kickoff, Cincinnati recovered their first onside kick since December 2019, and did not let it go to waste. Flacco found Higgins for 12 and 23-yards on successive plays to set the Bengals up at the Bears’ 45 yardline.

Three plays later, Flacco found Andrei Iosivas in the end zone to give the Bengals a 42-41 lead.

15 points in 49 seconds. After being on the wrong side of a 15-point fourth quarter comeback a week ago, it was almost party time in Paycor. All the Bengals needed to do was hang on for 54 seconds.

…But It Still Didn’t Matter

It was a task that proved too big to meet for the Bengals defense, who continue to struggle to stop the opposition.

After forcing a pair of incompletions, Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams was able to move the chains on a 14-yard scramble. On the next snap, he delivered the dagger, as Williams connected with rookie tight end Colston Loveland.

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Catching the ball between four Bengals defenders, Loveland bounced off two of them and turned on the jets for the game winning score.

The 58-yard touchdown sucked the air out of the stadium, wiped a smile off of Taylor’s face he was showing less than a minute before and opened the box to question what there is to play for the rest of the season as the Bengals enter their bye week three games under .500.

Chicago leaves the banks of the Ohio River totaling 576 yards of offense and converting on their red zone opportunities: Entering the game as the No. 26 red zone offense in the league, the Bears weren’t 4-for-6 on scoring opportunities from inside the 20.

Cincinnati’s defense was down Trey Hendrickson and Logan Wilson (who’s playing time may not have mattered if he had been healthy), but the issues persist: Too many big plays allowed and too many tackles were missed.

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The Bengals defense missed 15 tackles for 133 additional yards against the Bears, including 35 yards on Colston Loveland’s game-winning 58-yard touchdown.

The Bengals entered Sunday with 94 missed tackles for 645 yards, both most in the NFL.#CHIvsCIN | #DaBears | #WhoDey https://t.co/TadnFeUHid

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 2, 2025

According to NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Cincinnati’s defense missed a total of 15 tackles for 133 additional yards Sunday afternoon.

It continued a disturbing trend, in which the Bengals entered the game having missed 94 tackles for 645 yards, both of which led the NFL.

Ground And Pound

Chicago entered the game down to their third and fourth string running backs, with D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson inactive due to injury. Facing the NFL’s worst rush defense, it went about as well as you’d expect.

The Bengals rush defense continued to struggle Sunday afternoon, allowing the Bears to rush for 283 yards, led by rookie Kyle Monangai, who led all rushers with 176 yards on 26 carries.

To counter, the Bengals…well, didn’t. Cincinnati totaled 46 yards on the ground, on 15 attempts, with Chase Brown getting 11 of those rushes, totaling 37 yards.

Samaje Perine exited the game in the first half after sustaining an injury in the first half.

Tee Is For Touchdown

No, I didn’t take this from the Bengals official account.

(Okay, I totally took it from the official Bengals account. Thank you, admin.)

After getting just two targets last week, Flacco relied on Higgins was the most important member of the Bengals receiving corps. Sunday, leading all receivers by hauling in seven balls for 121 yards on nine targets.

He also continued his habit of scoring highlight reel touchdowns.

On Cincinnati’s first offensive touchdown of the day, Higgins was able to work around Chicago’s Nahshon Wright, tip toe the sideline, and walk into the end zone, giving the Bengals a 20-17 lead.

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His second came in the third quarter, also to give the Bengals a lead. With the ball at the two yardline, Flacco found Higgins in the flat and, after fighting off a hand on his waist by C.J. Gardner-Johnson, fell forward enough to hit the pylon.

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After he was initially ruled down short of the goalline, he was awarded the touchdown when the officials got together to talk it out.

It wasn’t just touchdowns where Higgins showed his worth.

No. 5 was on the receiving end of a two-point conversion following a Noah Fant touchdown that made it a six-point game inside of two minutes to play.

He also was integral in the Bengals final scoring drive, but was injured on his 23-yard reception and didn’t return to the game after that point.

Critical Mistakes

The Bengals had enough difficulty stopping the Bears on offense, but some of those problems were aided by unforced errors.

Early in the first quarter, the Bengals thought they had forced Caleb Williams off the field, after he was sacked on a third and 10 by Joseph Ossai. But, a penalty against Demetrius Knight for illegal contact down field erased the sack and gave the Bears a fresh set of downs.

Seven plays later, Chicago ran a double-reverse trick play that ended when D.J. Moore found Williams in the endzone for a touchdown, tying the game at 7-7.

On the next drive, the Bengals forced a Chicago field goal from 47 yards out, which went wide right, but D.J. Ivey was lined up offsides.

The Bears opted to take the points off the board, converted a fourth and one, and two plays later, scored on a 15-yard pitch-and-catch from Williams to Olamide Zaccheaus, giving the Bears a 14-10 lead.

Add that to the Bengals inability to bring down Chicago’s ball carriers, and it was a tough day for Al Golden’s unit.

But it wasn’t just the defensive side of the ball that had problems.

Cincinnati’s first two drives of the fourth quarter, a quarter that stared with the Bengals trailing 31-27, ended with the Bengals turning the ball over.

Chicago took their four-point lead with under two minutes to play in the third quarter, on a Brittain Brown 22-yard touchdown rush, and the Bengals were looking to drive to respond.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Flacco was sacked by Austin Booker. As Flacco was going to the ground, he lost control of the football, and Chicago recovered.

Cincinnati’s defense stood tall, keeping the Bears out of the end zone for the first time in the half, and instead forcing a Chicago field goal, which extended the visitor’s lead to 34-27.

On the ensuing drive, the Bengals moved just 38 yards on 13 plays and looked to respond Chicago’s field goal with one of their own, but a 54-yard attempt from Evan McPherson died in the wind and fell in the back of the endzone, short of the crossbar, keeping the Bengals off the board.

On the drive that followed, Chicago took just two plays to threaten the score. D.J. Moore rushed for 16 yards before being shoved out of bounds at the goal line, losing the ball as he extended to the goalline.

Zac Taylor challenged, thinking the ball was fumbled through the endzone which would have resulted in a touchback. Instead, the review overturned the play to a touchdown for the Bears, giving Moore a 17-yard touchdown rush and pushing the Bears’ lead to 41-27.

The Bengals now have a week to regroup before they return to action in two weeks against the Pittsburgh Steelers.