Joe Flacco’s fourth touchdown pass gave Cincinnati a 42-41 lead with 58 seconds left, but even that wasn’t enough against what has become an historically bad Bengals defense.
After two incompletions and a 14-yard scramble, Chicago had the ball at its own 42 with :25 to go. Caleb Williams then found rookie tight end Colston Loveland for a 58-yard dagger, Williams’ third TD, to hand the Bears a 47-42 win and spoil Flacco’s career day.
READ MORE: Bengals Burned Late In Another Defensive Collapse As Bears Steal 47-42 Thriller
Flacco, 40, was sensational, throwing for 470 yards and four touchdowns. It didn’t matter.
Cincinnati’s defense has now allowed at least 27 points in eight straight games and 31-plus in five of the last seven. One year after Carolina set the NFL record with 534 points allowed, the Bengals are tracking even worse … currently on pace to surrender 567.
Local voices are openly wondering if you can trade an entire defense at the deadline, and after Sunday, you understand why.
The unit is making almost every opposing quarterback look like a Hall of Famer. Williams went 20-of-34 for 280 yards and three scores, adding 53 rushing yards on five carries, a week after the Jets’ struggling Justin Fields posted 275 total yards and a TD in New York’s first win.
Earlier this season Trevor Lawrence threw three touchdowns (with two picks) in a 31-27 game, Jared Goff went 19-of-23 with three scores as Detroit won 37-24, Aaron Rodgers tossed four TDs in a 33-31 shootout, and even Denver rookie Bo Nix ripped 326 yards with two passing TDs and a rushing score in a 28-3 result that was far more lopsided than the final implied.
Cincinnati gets a bye before a Week 11 rematch with Rodgers and the Steelers, then faces Drake Maye, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson twice. Unless something changes – and fast – the 2025 Bengals won’t just be a team with a leaky defense. They’ll be chasing the wrong kind of NFL history.
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