Biggest Takeaways From Chicago Bears' Preseason Week 2 Loss to Cincinnati Bengals

The biggest takeaways from the Chicago Bears' preseason Week 2 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday night.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) snaps the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Chicago Bears are one week closer to the start of the 2026 season after taking on the Cincinnati Bengals in the preseason Week 2 game on Saturday night, which Chicago lost, 27-9.

We were thrown a bit of a curveball ahead of the contest, as head coach Ben Johnson decided to play Caleb Williams and many of the ones on offense after it was assumed they wouldn't suit up.

"It will be good for him to go through the night game routine. He's prepared to play as long as he needs to for our offense," said Johnson.

Unfortunately, we didn't exactly get the performance we wanted to see out of the starters on offense, and the same can be said for the defensive side of the ball.

We'll go over that and more as we take a look at the takeaways from the Bears' preseason Week 2 loss to Cincinnati.

Disappointing series for starting offense

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) warms up before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bears played their starters on offense for the opening series and the drive resulted in a field goal, which is better than no points but is not exactly the outcome you want against the Bengals' twos.

Caleb Williams completed 2-of-5 passes for 28 yards and those strikes went to Colston Loveland (10 yards) and Rome Odunze (18 yards).

The drive lasted eight plays and went for 33 yards. The Bears could have had more, but Williams missed Loveland on a pass down the seam.

Among the starters who didn't play on offense were Joe Thuney, Ozzy Trapilo, Luther Burden and D'Andre Swift. Trapilo is ramping up after being activated off the PUP list, Burden is dealing with a groin injury, and Swift's and Thuney's absences were not injury-related as far as we know.

Braxton Jones, Jordan McFadden and Roschon Johnson started in place of Trapilo, Thuney and Swift, respectively.

Chicago pulled its starters after the opening series

Up-and-down showing for the ones on defense

Chicago Bears defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. (99) during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bears had some starters on defense for the first drive of the game and the Bengals still managed to work their way down the field despite not playing their starters.

The 14-play, 62-yard drive ended with a 25-yard field goal from Bengals kicker Evan McPherson. Not exactly a desired result against Cincinnati's backups.

There were a few standouts among the ones in Gervon Dexter and Dayo Odeyingbo, who recorded back-to-back pressures to help force a three-and-out for Cincinnati on the next drive.

Bears might have a left tackle problem

Chicago Bears offensive tackle Braxton Jones (70) walks on the field during Training Camp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Neither Jones nor Benedet helped their cause for the left tackle or swing tackle jobs on Saturday night.

Not only did Jones commit a holding penalty on the opening drive, he also got bullied by a Bengals edge rusher on the second series.

Braxton Jones rep in the 2nd drive. Ozzy Trapilo needs to get back soon! pic.twitter.com/QfzzAdhXMd

— Ben Devine (@Chicago_NFL) August 22, 2026

Benedet came in at left tackle after Jones played two series there and he didn't fare much better after posting back-to-back ugly reps.

Tough back to back snaps for Theo here. (Typo saying Ozzy 1st time around)

Oversets in the pass pro then overreaches the run after. #DaBears #Bears pic.twitter.com/5HCY7TvTLn

— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) August 23, 2026

What makes these showings even worse is the fact that Benedet and Jones worked against Cincinnati's twos.

The Bears probably don't feel any better about their tackle situation after this game. The hope is that Trapilo can get himself ready for Week 1 so Chicago doesn't have to depend on whoever wins the current left tackle competition.

Jordan van den Berg shines

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

It was a great night for the sixth-round pick, who showed a little bit of everything in his second preseason game.

The rookie showed up in the pass-rush with a pressure, had a run stop and he showed his elite athleticism by chasing down a ball carrier on another play. His strength was on full display, also, as van den Berg was regularly moving people at the line of scrimmage.

We no longer have to wonder if van den Berg will make the roster. Instead, we have to wonder how big of a role he's going to have.

Roschon Johnson works ahead of Salvon Ahmed again

Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson (23) reacts after gaining a first down against the Cleveland Browns during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Johnson once again worked ahead of Salvon Ahmed and handled the majority of the work in Chicago's backfield in the first half. Ahmed mixed in for five touches in the first two quarters.

Johnson wasn't particularly impressive, as he tallied 42 yards on 12 carries and added one catch for one yard, but the simple fact that he's still operating in front of Ahmed suggests he's still the favorite for the RB3 job.

Ahmed did have a strong showing, though, as he ripped off 36 yards on six carries and added three catches for 14 yards. His performances in the preseason thus far have been superior to Johnson's, so Ahmed still has a chance to beat him out.

If nothing else, Ahmed is locked into the RB4 spot if the Bears keep four running backs.

Jahdae Walker cements himself with one catch

Chicago Bears wide receiver Jahdae Walker (9) during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Walker has been competing for the WR4 spot this offseason and he might have just locked up the job with one catch.

Case Keenum dialed up a deep ball for Walker down the sideline in the second quarter and the second-year wideout made a great catch that showed his impressive hands and big-play ability.

Looks like the Bears got another playmaker emerging. pic.twitter.com/9AsURPOLTC

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 23, 2026

While we were already confident in projecting Walker for the WR4 spot, that catch just cemented our projection.

Bad showing for the backups

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Colbie Young (86) catches a pass for a touchdown against Chicago Bears cornerback Dontae Manning (27) in the first half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On top of disappointing showings from the ones on both sides of the ball, the backups didn't do any better.

After the starters came out, the twos and threes on offense didn't score a single touchdown and were only able to muster up six points. Keenum and rookie Miller Moss were under constant pressure.

On defense, Chicago gave up 24 points after the departure of the ones and cornerback Dontae Manning was torched for a pair of touchdown passes. The Bears' backups managed to make both Josh Johnson and Sean Clifford look like starting-caliber quarterbacks, which we know they are not.

Now, we know the Bears have a lot of injuries, so this wasn't the full allotment of twos and threes, but Chicago would still be wise to explore their options for more depth in free agency.