Sports
By Will Coffman, Local and National Editor
Cincinnati Bengals fans had their hearts broken again in Sunday’s 47-42 loss to the Bears.
Sunday’s contest saw a struggling 3-5 Bengals team who is still missing quarterback Joe Burrow, following his turf toe injury that has sidelined him since September, going up against the 4-3 Chicago Bears.
The high scoring game got off to a great start for the Bengals with a kickoff return for a touchdown, yet the Bengals defense failed to shut down an impressive game from Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. It was quite the day for Williams, who threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns, as well as taking in two receptions, one of which earned a touchdown.
Still, despite the dominance of the Bears offense, the Bengals appeared on the verge of victory late in the fourth quarter. Trailing by 14 points with less than five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, a spark had ignited for the Bengals.
Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco connected with tight end Noah Fant for a 23 yard touchdown with a minute and 43 seconds to go, before completing the two point attempt with a pass to wide receiver Tee Higgins to put the Bengals down six.
Rookie tight end Colston Loveland put the nail in the coffin against the Bengals.
On the teams next drive, with less than a minute of play remaining, Flacco threw another touchdown pass, this time a nine yard toss to receiver Andrei Iosivas. The successful extra point by Evan McPherson put the Bengals up by one with 54 seconds to go.
Then, the Bears delivered a comeback of their own. Williams connected with Bears tight end Colston Loveland, who made the catch before being hit. Rather than falling, Loveland was propelled by the defender and stayed on his feet, rushing 58 yards straight into the end zone with 17 seconds remaining, stunning the Bengals defense.
The mood at Paycor following the loss was disbelief.
“That game just summed up the Bengals season,” senior accounting major Sam Giuliani said.
Stats wise, the Bengals had a lot to be proud of, with the standouts being quarterback Joe Flacco, who threw for 470 yards and four touchdowns, as well as receiver Tee Higgins, who caught seven passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Still, the loss is disappointing for a Bengals team that now sits third in the AFC North.
The Bengals now go into their bye week, having to sit on this loss for a while, before returning to action against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium Nov. 16.
