The Cincinnati Bengals are desperate for a win against the Chicago Bears in Week 9, but it won’t come easily. Before the loss to the Ravens last week, Chicago was on a four-game win streak, while the Bengals have a 1-3 record in that span.
Joe Flacco has been playing well, but Cincinnati’s defense has continued its struggles from 2024, with the exclamation point coming last Sunday against the Jets. The team had a two-touchdown lead midway through the fourth quarter, but somehow lost by a point at home.
Cincinnati’s bye week looms, making this inter-conference clash a surprisingly critical one, but the Bears are coming in hungry. To get the lay of the land heading into this matchup, we tapped the knowledge of Bill Zimmerman over at SB Nation’s Windy City Gridiron.
Here are the five burning questions we asked ahead of this week’s Week 9 matchup at Paycor Stadium.
1.) AC: What has been the biggest difference in the quality of play from Caleb Williams as a rookie to Year Two?
BZ: “100% the biggest issue is that he’s playing far more on time. That has caused his sack rate to plummet, and it has greatly improved the Bears’ offense. His sack rate last year was 10.8%; this year it’s down to 5.1%. That puts him 11th in the NFL, right behind Patrick Mahomes.
“Now his time to throw is still higher than most, but that’s also because Caleb has multiple plays per game where he does scramble and try to make a big play down the field, and that makes his time much higher, but in plays where he is playing in structure, the ball is consistently out in less than 3 seconds.
“There is still plenty to clean up; his accuracy needs to improve, and he’s still a little frantic in the pocket. However, it does look improved under Ben Johnson in year two.“
2.) AC: Can you give us a rundown and update on the health of the Bears’ wideouts? It appears that the top guys in that position’s depth chart are dealing with varying injuries.
BZ: “I’m not too concerned overall about the wide receivers. DJ Moore was listed with those same injuries since the Washington game and has played through them each of the last two weeks. Rome Odunze didn’t practice but had his helmet and was dressed and working. I think that’s just a precaution, and I would expect to see him this week as well.
“The other two are more of a question. Olamide Zaccheaus just popped on the report, and Ben Johnson has called him day-to-day, so I think there’s a decent chance he plays. I would expect to at least see him limited in practice moving forward this week.“
3.) AC: A big point of emphasis this offseason for the Bears was bolstering their offensive line. How much have they improved, and what can a reeling Bengals defense expect from the big uglies up front for Chicago?
BZ: “The offensive line is night and day compared to last season. Last year, their line was one of the worst in the league. This year, it’s definitely in the top half of the league, and I would argue it’s pushing to be in the top ten.
“Yes, Caleb Williams has improved at getting the ball out, and that has decreased his sack rate, but so has improved blocking. The run game didn’t look great the first few weeks, but they’ve had a couple of outstanding games in October, and that’s starting to turn the corner as well.
“Individually, Darnell Wright has taken steps forward at right tackle and is becoming one of the best right tackles in the league. Joe Thuney at left guard hasn’t lost a step and is playing at an All-Pro level. Drew Dalman and Jonah Jackson aren’t elite players, but both of them are good.
“The question on this line is left tackle, where 2nd year UDFA Theo Benedet is playing. He certainly struggles against elite talent, but he’s done surprisingly well considering his background. But if the Bengals want to attack this line, left tackle is where to do it.“
4.) AC: Give me an under-the-radar player for the Bears on offense and defense–particularly ones you see potentially stepping up this week?
BZ: “For the offense, I’ll give you 7th round rookie Kyle Monangai. Monongai jumped Roschon Johnson during training camp to become the team’s RB2, and he’s slowly seen his snap count and touches increase. Monangai is a between-the-tackles runner who runs with some power and has averaged over 10 touches a game the last two weeks.
“Ben Johnson is trying to set up a poor man’s version of what he had in Detroit with lightning (Gibbs/Swift) and thunder (Montgomery/Monangai). Obviously, the Bears’ versions are less talented players, but that’s where he’s trying to get, and we have seen the run scheme look better recently, and I expect it to look good against Cincinnati.“
5.) AC: Earlier this week, many Sportsbooks had the Bears as 2.5-point favorites over the Bengals this Sunday. Perhaps the Flacco injury situation has affected that line a little bit, as Chicago has ticked up to three-point favorites, per FanDuel. How do you feel about that line–particularly with the Bears being on the road–and how do you see this one going?
“I think if Joe Flacco plays, I think this is a toss-up game, so I think the point spread is fair. I think if Jake Browning plays, bettors would certainly like the Bears, so I’m sure that’s why it was bet out to 3. I think the bottom line in this one is that the Bengals’ defense stinks. Sorry to be blunt, but I know you’ve all seen the statistics.
“Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson’s elite games against Dallas, and since I think the Cincinnati defense is similar, I expect the Bears’ offense to have a similar day. I do think if Flacco plays, the Bengals offense will have some success against the Bears’ defense. The Bears have both Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon on IR and just signed CJ Gardner-Johnson for some much-needed (desperate?) help in the secondary.
“If Flacco comes in and just chucks it to Chase and Higgins, he’s going to gain some yardage because I think they’ll be able to exploit the Bears’ secondary. I would feel more confident that Jake Browning wouldn’t be able to do that as much.
“I will pick the Bears either way in this one. If it’s Browning, I’ll call it 34-20; if it’s Flacco, I’ll call it 31-27.“
Our thanks to Bill Zimmerman and the fine folks over at Windy City Gridiron. Get your additional news and analysis ahead of this game, and be sure to check out the other side of our conversation.
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