4 Winners and 3 Losers From the Chicago Bears' Preseason Loss Against Cincinnati

The Chicago Bears came out flat in the team's disappointing 27-9 loss in Cincinnati. The defense gave up chunk gains all night long, and the offense failed to get in the end zone.

They'll have plenty to clean up before the regular season kicks off on September 13. However, that's what the preseason is for, after all. They'll have another chance to work out the kinks next week against Tennessee.

While they didn't have a stellar showing by any means, that's not to say that there weren't any positive takeaways. A few players had standout performances on both sides of the ball. At the same time, others struggled MIGHTILY.

Who were some the most significant examples on both sides of the aisle?

Winner: Jahdae Walker

Wide receiver Jahdae Walker only came down with one catch, but what a massive catch it was. His 36-yard spinning grab was the most explosive play in what was a far less-than-stellar offensive performance. He made up some ground on Kalif Raymond, who has a slight edge at WR3, in an under-the-radar position battle.

While Walker didn't have a flawless performance (he committed a false start late in the first quarter), his grab was a shining light in an otherwise flat showing. He'll probably have the night off next week against Tennessee.

Loser: Braxton Jones

Braxton Jones needed a quality performance last night to stake a claim on the starting left tackle job (at least until Ozzy Trapilo is ready to return to the lineup). Unfortunately, he fell well short of that goal. Bengals backup defensive end Cedric Johnson absolutely had him on skates at one point. That was also far from his only rough play of the night.

Braxton Jones my goodness man pic.twitter.com/HW2agfAFlT
— Dave (@davebftv) August 22, 2026

At this point, it seems like Jones will still probably hold onto the LT job. However, he'll only win it by default. Jedrick Wills and Kiran Amegadjie didn't do anything to supplant him. Theo Benedet (who also didn't exactly show out) might get more of a look in next week's preseason finale against Tennessee, but he'd also only be a placeholder. This is clearly Trapilo's job once he gets the green light to return to action.

Winner: D'Marco Jackson

D'Marco Jackson at practice — Jul 31, 2026; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears linebacker D'Marco Jackson (48) walks with the ball during Training Camp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Linebacker D'Marco Jackson FLIES to the ball. All. The. Time. He racked up three tackles on the first drive, and two of them were right at the line of scrimmage.

Jackson has shown flashes in both preseason games and will probably play a key role on defense this season. He was arguably their best coverage linebacker last season after making his mark late in the year. Based on the early sample size, his run defense has improved (or he just got more comfortable in his role).

Loser: Roschon Johnson

Running back Roschon Johnson had a solid showing last week against Cleveland. He also had a few solid runs early on against Cincinnati, finishing with 12 attempts for 42 yards. On top of the less-than-stellar yards per attempt (3.5), he also missed a wide open running lane that could've been a chunk play for the offense.

Roschon Johnson missed a huge hole on the left side. #DaBears pic.twitter.com/DG48Qf03hb
— Ben Devine (@Chicago_NFL) August 22, 2026

Was the run supposed to go to the right? Probably. That doesn't mean that a running back with even marginal vision would take the truck-sized lane to the left. It'll probably be a teaching point in film review this week. Salvon Ahmed, who had six attempts for 36 yards, looks like the clear leader for the RB3 job right now.

Winner: Jordan van den Berg

Jordan van den Berg making a tackle — Aug 22, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Chicago Bears defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg (96) makes a tackle against Cincinnati Bengals running back Kentrel Bullock (31) during the second quarter at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Is it premature to say definitively that the Bears found a gem with the sixth-round selection of Jordan van den Berg? At this point, it somehow doesn't feel that way (even if it logically 100% is). He received significant hype over the first few weeks of training camp and has now followed that up with two promising performances over their two preseason contests.

Four words. Jordan. Van. Den. Berg. pic.twitter.com/SRNPbcVIo3
— Ficky (@itsfickybaby) August 23, 2026

Simply put, players of his size shouldn't move as fast as he can. The TFL shown above (which seemingly wasn't considered a TFL based on the stat sheet as of the time I'm writing this) made the highlight reel. It arguably wasn't even his most impressive play of the game, though. He outran defensive end Daniel Hardy to the edge and forced Sean Clifford, who ran a 4.62-second 40-yard dash at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, out of bounds short of the first-down line later in the game.

It was both a ridiculous feat of athleticism and an example of a rookie showing GREAT effort in a meaningless game. He played like he was fighting for a roster spot despite knowing full well that it's been locked up for weeks.

Loser: Defensive play calling (Dennis Allen and Al Harris)

None of the Bengals' offensive starters saw the field last night. You'd think that the Bears' defense would've performed a bit better early on, considering many of their starters were on the field on the first drive. Nevertheless, Cincinnati's backup offense began the night with a 14-play drive that resulted in a field goal.

Both Bengals quarterbacks, Josh Johnson and Sean Clifford, had no issues finding open receivers all night long. They routinely picked on backup cornerback Dontae Manning, and he let up some chunk gains. So did undrafted rookie safety before he came down with an impressive interception in the fourth quarter. The blitzes were also choreographed practically every time they were called. There will be a lot for EVERYONE on defense to learn in reviewing the film for this one.

Winner: Dayo Odeyingbo

Dayo Odeyingbo on the field — Oct 26, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley (5) runs with the ball as Chicago Bears defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo (55) chases in the third quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dayo Odeyingbo looked awfully motivated against the Bengals. He followed up an extremely disappointing performance against Cleveland with a strong showing against Cincinnati. The 26-year-old leveled Josh Johnson with a bone-rattling hit early in the game, and was a problem for the Bengals' backup offensive line on a few other plays.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, a motivated Dayo Odeyingbo pic.twitter.com/r4ElEibzNO
— Dave (@davebftv) August 22, 2026

A healthy and impactful Odeyingbo would go a LONG way for Chicago's defense this season. Hopefully he can use the performance as a confidence booster and eventual launching point once the games start to count.

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