CINCINNATI (WXIX) - The Cincinnati Bengals' defense continued to struggle as the team fell to 3-6 this season with a heartbreaking 47-42 NFL Week 9 lossto the Chicago Bears at Paycor Stadium.
Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco threw for a career-high 470 passing yards and led the team to an improbable 15 points in 49 seconds, which included the recovery of an onside kick, to give Cincinnati a 42-41 lead late in the fourth quarter.
But Cincinnati left the Bears’ offense 54 seconds, which was too much time.
Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown (30) leaps over Chicago Bears defensive back...
Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown (30) leaps over Chicago Bears defensive back Tyrique Stevenson (29) in the fourth quarter of the NFL football game between Chicago Bears and Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Nov. 2, 2025. Albert Cesare/The Enquirer(Albert Cesare/The Enquirer)
“Another meltdown by the Cincinnati defense!” CBS play-by-play announcer Spero Dedes said after Bears tight end Colston Loveland’s catch and run for a touchdown with 17 seconds left. “Unreal!”
“You have got to be absolutely kidding me right now,” CBS analyst Adam Archuleta said.
“I don’t think I’ve seen anything like this. ... This (loss) right here is about as demoralizing as it gets.”
Bengals receiver Tee Higgins was a bright spot, with two touchdown receptions as he surpassed 5,000 career receiving yards.
And Charlie Jones had a 98-yard kickoff return for a TD to open the game.
Receiver Ja’Marr Chase added 111 receiving yards (on six catches), though his streak of consecutive games with at least 10 receptions ended at three.
The only NFL player since 1970 with at least 10 receptions in four consecutive games is Calvin Johnson in 2012.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story?Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Sendit to us herewith a brief description.
Copyright 2025 WXIX. All rights reserved.