Bears outlast Bengals for wild
47-42 win on Williams' TD pass to Loveland in final minute
[November 03, 2025]
By JOE REEDY
CINCINNATI (AP) — Caleb Williams was prepared to lead a game-winning
drive to beat the Cincinnati Bengals.
Not only did coach Ben Johnson warn against being surprised if the
Bengals were able to rally from double digits, the second-year QB
knew that posting a come-from-behind win in a shootout was one of a
few things this year's Chicago Bears had not accomplished.
Williams connected with Colston Loveland for a 58-yard touchdown
with 17 seconds left to give the Bears a 47-42 victory on Sunday in
a wild game that featured three touchdowns in the last two minutes
and two lead changes in the final minute.
“We knew it was going to be a shootout — one of those games,”
Williams said. “Today we had to put up a bunch of points. That
builds confidence knowing that they (the defense) know we have their
back.”
Joe Flacco put the Bengals ahead 42-41 when he threw a 9-yard
touchdown pass to Andrei Iosivas with 54 seconds remaining, setting
the stage for Williams.
Chicago (5-3) took over on its own 28 with 50 seconds left. After a
pair of incomplete passes, Williams scrambled around right end for a
14-yard gain.
On first down with 25 seconds left, Williams found Loveland down the
middle. The rookie tight end caught it at the Bengals 36, bounced
off Cincinnati defensive backs Jordan Battle and Geno Stone and ran
to the end zone.
“I threw a solid ball to him, he bounced off a few tackles and took
it the distance,” said Williams, who completed 20 of 34 passes for
280 yards and three touchdowns. “At that moment it was like Steph
Curry with Steve Kerr: ‘Oh no, no, no, no, yes, yes!’ That’s where I
was in that moment.”
Loveland, who had six catches for 118 yards and two TDs, said he was
surprised he was still upright after the hits by Battle and Stone,
and he knew he needed to score if possible.
“It was tough because if I get tackled there might not be enough
time to clock it or kick the field goal, so it was kind of just an
in-the-moment thing," Loveland said.
Williams also had 53 rushing yards and became the first starting QB
in nearly 82 years with multiple receptions in a game. He caught a
TD pass from D.J. Moore on a trick play for the Bears' first score
and hauled in a 20-yard pass from backup QB Tyson Bagent in the
fourth quarter.
It is the first time since Oct. 19, 2008, against Minnesota, that
Chicago has won when both teams have scored at least 40 points.
Flacco threw for a career-high 470 yards in a second straight
excruciating loss for Cincinnati (3-6), which had not scored 40
points or more in defeat since falling 51-45 at Cleveland on Sept.
16, 2007.
Following last Sunday's 39-38 loss to the New York Jets, it was the
sixth time dating to last season the Bengals have scored at least 30
points without winning.
“Probably the same as what was going through your head. Like, what
the (expletive)?” running back Chase Brown said when asked what he
was thinking after the game.
Tee Higgins had seven catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns,
including a 44-yarder along the left sideline late in the second
quarter that gave the Bengals a 20-17 halftime lead. Ja’Marr Chase
added 111 yards on six catches.
Bengals storm back
The Bears appeared to be in good shape after Moore’s 16-yard TD run
made it 41-27 with 4:53 left. Flacco was intercepted by Chicago’s
Tremaine Edmunds on the Bengals’ next possession, but the Bears went
three-and-out, and the 18-year veteran led a scoring drive that took
just 32 seconds.
[to top of second column] |
Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai (25) runs the ball during
the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati
Bengals, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A.
Bickel)
Flacco found Noah Fant for a 22-yard TD with 1:43 left, and Higgins
caught a 2-point conversion pass to get the Bengals within 41-35.
Joseph Ossai recovered the ensuing onside kick after it went off the
leg of Chicago’s Daniel Hardy to keep Cincinnati’s hopes alive, and
the Bengals took just 49 seconds to take the lead on Flacco’s strike
to Iosivas.
“When you make it a one-score game, I mean anything can happen.
Onside kicks aren’t very likely, but who knows? I think we were down
by 14, we were going out there and I said, ‘Hey, listen. Crazier
things have happened,’” Flacco said.
Monangai comes through
Rookie Kyle Monangai rushed for 176 yards on 26 carries as the Bears
piled up 576 yards of offense against a Bengals squad that came in
ranked last in total defense.
Monangai, a seventh-round draft pick, got the start with D’Andre
Swift sidelined due to a groin injury. Monangai finished with a
6.8-yard average and already had 100 yards on 16 carries at
halftime.
Chicago rushed for a season-high 283 yards and averaged 7.6 yards on
the ground. Brittain Brown, called up from the practice squad for
the game, had a 22-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to
put the Bears up 31-27.
Williams' milestone
According to Sportradar, the last starting QB with more than one
reception in a game was George Taliaferro of the Baltimore Colts on
Dec. 5, 1953, at the Los Angeles Rams. Williams also became the
third Chicago QB and first since Matt Barkley in 2017 to have a
receiving score.
According to the NFL and the Elias Sports Bureau, the last player
with at least two receptions and 10 completions in a game was
Washington's Harry Gilmer on Nov. 27, 1949, against the New York
Giants.
Wild start
Charlie Jones put Cincinnati ahead 11 seconds into the game by
taking the opening kickoff 98 yards. Jones found a seam and went up
the left sideline to put the Bengals up 7-0.
The wide receiver also ran a kickoff back for a score last year. He
is the first player to return two kickoffs for TDs since the league
changed the kickoff format in 2024.
Injuries
Bears: TE Cole Kmet and DB Josh Blackwell suffered concussions and
did not return. ... DL Dayo Odeyingbo had an ankle injury in the
second half.
Bengals: RB Samaje Perine suffered a right ankle injury during a
kick return in the first quarter and did not return.
Up next
Bears: Host the New York Giants next Sunday.
Bengals: After a bye, play at Pittsburgh on Nov. 16.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
