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The Chicago Bears entered Saturday night expecting a tune-up. They left Cincinnati with a warning. Chicago’s 27-9 preseason loss to the Bengals will not count in the standings, but head coach Ben Johnson made it clear that the manner in which the Bears lost mattered. They committed 11 penalties, failed repeatedly on third down and never reached the end zone despite moving the ball into Cincinnati territory multiple times.
Johnson did not hide behind the familiar preseason excuses afterward.
“Overall, it doesn’t matter if it’s preseason or not,” Johnson said during his postgame press conference. “It’s a bad feeling in that locker room after the game when you lose, particularly like that when it’s down by multiple scores.”
That is exactly the reaction Chicago needed from its head coach. The Bears did not simply lose an exhibition game. They played losing football.
Bears repeatedly beat themselves in Cincinnati
The final collection of mistakes was difficult to dismiss. Chicago finished with 11 penalties for 81 yards. The offense converted only two of its 14 third downs, while the defense allowed Cincinnati to go 6-for-13. The Bears also settled for three field goals and failed to score a touchdown.
“They really hurt us in the first half, and we weren’t able to get those cleaned up there in the second half,” Johnson said of the penalties. “When you add in the red zone, the fact that we were able to move the ball at times OK, but we couldn’t end up with touchdowns, those are major killers when you’re facing a good team like that.” Calling Cincinnati a good team was charitable considering the Bengals rested Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and most of their primary contributors.
Chicago’s starting offense opened the game against Cincinnati reserves and advanced to the Bengals’ 17-yard line. Left tackle Braxton Jones then committed a holding penalty, backing the Bears into a first-and-20 situation.
Three consecutive incompletions followed, and Chicago settled for a 45-yard Cairo Santos field goal.
It was an eight-play drive that neatly captured the entire night: some encouraging movement followed by a self-inflicted wound and an unsatisfying finish.
MORE: Shedeur Sanders’ first drive in preseason start ends with passing touchdown
Preseason label cannot excuse losing habits
Preseason results are often meaningless. Preseason habits are not. A missed tackle in August can become a touchdown in September. A holding penalty that ruins a promising drive does not become less damaging when the regular season arrives. Third-and-long remains third-and-long regardless of whether the game counts.
The Bears learned that lesson the painful way. They were unable to overcome their own mistakes against Cincinnati’s backups, and the problems extended across all three phases. The offense could not sustain drives, the defense struggled to get off the field and even the special teams unit contributed to the sloppy performance.
Johnson’s frustration should also be viewed through the expectations surrounding this team. Chicago is no longer trying to prove it belongs in the playoff conversation. The Bears won the NFC North last season and defeated Green Bay in the wild-card round. The standard has changed.
A team with those ambitions cannot wave away 11 penalties and a 2-for-14 performance on third down because the calendar still says August.
Johnson understands that. His players had better understand it quickly. Chicago has one preseason game remaining against the Tennessee Titans. The score will once again be largely irrelevant. The Bears’ discipline, execution and response to an embarrassing night in Cincinnati will not be.
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