Caleb Williams' magic can't save the Bears from a disastrous defense. The rookie quarterback put on a show in Sunday's wild 47-42 win over the Bengals, tossing three touchdowns and rushing for 53 yards before the defense imploded.
The day belongs to Kyle Monangai, who outworked his counterparts to produce 176 yards on the ground – the most by a Bear since Matt Forte went for 205 against the Panthers in 2011. With D'Andre Swift sidelined, Monangai took center stage and delivered with a flourish, hammering the Bengals for 63 yards in the first quarter.
Colston Loveland also stepped up, hauling in six catches for 118 yards and scoring his first two NFL touchdowns, including a stunning 58-yarder with seconds left that capped off an incredible game.
The defense was a different story altogether. The unit's inability to close out plays cost the Bears multiple opportunities at the end zone, while also allowing Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco to put up career-high numbers.
In a bizarre twist of fate, the Bengal's 40-year-old quarterback managed to post four touchdown passes and 470 yards through the air – leaving the defense looking bewildered. In fact, it was almost as if they didn't exist.
Ultimately, this one will be remembered for all its madness – not least of which is how the Bengals scored on their opening kickoff return of 99 yards.
The day belongs to Kyle Monangai, who outworked his counterparts to produce 176 yards on the ground – the most by a Bear since Matt Forte went for 205 against the Panthers in 2011. With D'Andre Swift sidelined, Monangai took center stage and delivered with a flourish, hammering the Bengals for 63 yards in the first quarter.
Colston Loveland also stepped up, hauling in six catches for 118 yards and scoring his first two NFL touchdowns, including a stunning 58-yarder with seconds left that capped off an incredible game.
The defense was a different story altogether. The unit's inability to close out plays cost the Bears multiple opportunities at the end zone, while also allowing Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco to put up career-high numbers.
In a bizarre twist of fate, the Bengal's 40-year-old quarterback managed to post four touchdown passes and 470 yards through the air – leaving the defense looking bewildered. In fact, it was almost as if they didn't exist.
Ultimately, this one will be remembered for all its madness – not least of which is how the Bengals scored on their opening kickoff return of 99 yards.
I'm still trying to process what I just saw, defense was straight up torched by Flacco 
and the offense was on fire with Caleb Williams leading the charge 
. Kyle Monangai is the real MVP tho 
176 yards on the ground in a game that needed him to step up big time 
Colston Loveland scoring his first two touchdowns, that's awesome! 
The Bengals' 40-year-old QB putting up those insane numbers though... what can you even do against that? 
! Caleb Williams is putting up insane numbers and can't even rely on his team to keep pace with him. And don't get me started on the Bengals - Joe Flacco just doesn't care about anything, he's just throwing touchdowns willy-nilly and having the time of his life 
! From that insane opening kickoff return to Kyle Monangai taking it upon himself to carry the team, it was just non-stop chaos. And Colston Loveland scoring those two touchdowns in the final minutes? I mean, what are you even gonna do with that kind of drama? 
his 176 yards on the ground was insane! and Colston Loveland, wow six catches for 118 yards and TWO touchdowns, the man is a beast 
. but let's be real, defense was a whole different story... those Bengals' defenders were sleepwalking 
, Joe Flacco just destroyed them. and can we talk about how the bengals scored on that opening kickoff return? 
you gotta want it more than the other guy and it looks like they didn't want it at all 
anyway, kudos to Monangai for stepping up when his teammate was out and Colston Loveland for scoring those touchdowns, but we can't forget about Caleb Williams, he's a superstar in the making 
and that rookie magic can only take you so far, eventually you gotta develop some actual defense skills 
... and can we talk about Joe Flacco for a second?! 40 years old and still putting up crazy numbers? that's just insane 
it's crazy how joe flacco just tore them apart in the 4th quarter... like, i get it, he's a veteran QB and all, but come on! 
. A 99-yard kickoff return? That's just wild! And to make matters worse, they turned it into a TD 
– it's gonna be one of those moments that'll get replayed for ages!
. But at the same time, that defense was straight trash 
. Like, how do you not even try to stop a 99-yard kickoff return? 
It's like they had an on-field meltdown or something. I guess that's just the NFL, though - one minute you're on top of the world, the next minute you're getting destroyed 
, can you believe this defense? They're like they got out-coached by a high school team... I mean, what's going on with those pass coverage skills? 
! But like, can we talk about the defense for a sec? 
. Like, how does one person put up 470 yards through the air?! 
I'm also loving Colston Loveland's debut TDs 
. Caleb Williams is doing his thing, but it's not enough to carry the team, it feels like. And what's up with Bengals' Joe Flacco? 470 yards in a single game? That's just wild 
. The whole game was crazy, I'm still trying to process everything that went down 
.
. I'm calling it now, Joe Flacco is the real MVP of that game – he outcoached Williams and proved that he still got it 
! And Caleb Williams is a magician but even he can't make up for that defense. Kyle Monangai was on fire though, 176 yards on the ground is crazy 
!