The Cincinnati Bengals were unable to hold on, losing 47-42 to the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Paycor Stadium, bringing their record to 3-6. The loss piled another weight onto the mountain of historic woes the Bengals face, who have now scored 80 combined points in their last two games, yet failed to win either. They scored 38 points last week against the New York Giants but lost 39-38.
This is the first such instance since the 1966 New York Giants, with an NFL team scoring 38 or more points in consecutive games and losing both, according to ESPN Insights.
The Bengals’ offense performed admirably on Sunday, but their defense left much to be desired. Joe Flacco, starting in place of an injured Joe Burrow, orchestrated a remarkable comeback attempt, engineering two touchdown drives in under five minutes to take a 42-41 lead with less than a minute remaining.
The team’s late push was in vain, as Cincinnati’s defense could not hold, allowing rookie tight end Colston Loveland to break multiple tackles on a 58-yard touchdown reception from Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams, deciding the game as the clock ticked down to 17 seconds.
The Bengals' defensive issues were apparent well before the game-winning score. They surrendered 576 total yards to Chicago, marking the most allowed by any team in a single game this season. Cincinnati became only the 10th team in NFL history to give up at least 275 passing yards and 275 rushing yards in the same game.
Bears running back Kyle Monangai rushed for 176 yards on 26 carries, the fifth 100-yard rushing performance against the Bengals this season, and the highest by a rookie in the NFL in 2025. The Bengals also gave up over 500 total yards in back-to-back games and have now allowed more than seven yards per carry for three consecutive weeks.
This defensive instability is not a new trend. Cincinnati has conceded at least 27 points and 350 total yards in eight straight games this season, the longest streak in a single NFL season. In the past two seasons, the Bengals have lost four games while scoring 38 points or more, equaling the total of the rest of the league combined over the same span. They are allowing 33.3 points per game this season, the highest since the 1966 Giants.
After the bye week, Cincinnati will face the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 16 with no room for error.
