CINCINNATI (AP) — Caleb Williams connected with Colston Loveland for with 17 seconds left, and the Chicago Bears beat the Cincinnati Bengals 47-42 on Sunday in a wild game that featured three touchdowns in the last two minutes and two lead changes in the final minute.
After Joe Flacco put the Bengals ahead 42-41 with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Andrei Iosivas, Chicago (5-3) took over on its own 28 with 54 seconds left. Four plays later, on first down from the 42, Williams found Loveland down the middle. The rookie tight end caught it at the Bengals 36, bounced off Cincinnati defensive backs Jordan Battle and Geno Stone and ran to the end zone to give Chicago its fifth win in six games.
Williams passed for 280 yards and three touchdowns, and he also caught a TD pass from D.J. Moore on a trick play for the Bears’ first score. He later hauled in a 20-yard pass from Tyson Bagent, becoming the first starting QB in nearly 82 years with multiple receptions in a game.
The 40-year-old Flacco, who did not practice on Wednesday and Friday after injuring the AC joint in his right throwing shoulder in last week’s loss to the New York Jets, was 30 of 44 for a career-high 470 yards and four TDs. But the Bengals scored at least 30 points and lost for the second straight week and sixth time dating to last season.
Cincinnati (3-6) had not scored 40 points or more in defeat since falling 51-45 to Cleveland on Sept. 16, 2007.
Loveland had six catches for 118 yards. Moore, a wide receiver, had a 17-yard touchdown rush along with the scoring pass to Williams. He added four catches for 72 yards.
The Bears appeared to be in good shape after Moore’s TD run made it 41-27 with 4:53 left. Flacco was intercepted on the Bengals’ next possession, but the Bears went three-and-out, and the veteran led a scoring drive that took just 32 seconds.
Flacco found Noah Fant for a 22-yard TD with 1:43 left, and Tee Higgins caught a 2-point conversion pass to get the Bengals within 41-35. Joseph Ossai recovered the ensuing onside kick to keep Cincinnati’s hopes alive, and the Bengals took just 49 seconds to take the lead on Flacco’s toss to Iosivas.
Cincinnati has dropped two straight and six of seven. It allowed at least 31 points for the third straight game.
Rookie Kyle Monangai rushed for 176 yards on 26 carries as the Bears piled up 576 yards of offense against a Bengals squad that came in ranked last in total defense.
Monangai, a seventh-round draft pick, got the start with D’Andre Swift sidelined due to a groin injury. Monangai finished with a 6.8-yard average and already had 100 yards on 16 carries at halftime.
Chicago rushed for a season-high 283 yards and averaged 7.6 yards on the ground. Brittain Brown, called up from the practice squad for the game, had a 22-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to put the Bears up 31-27.
Charlie Jones put Cincinnati ahead 11 seconds into the game by taking the opening kickoff 98 yards, but the Bengals consistently failed to get stops as the Bears scored on seven of their nine drives, including their first four possessions of the second half.
Higgins had seven catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns, including a 44-yarder along the left sideline late in the second quarter that gave the Bengals a 20-17 halftime lead. Ja’Marr Chase added 111 yards on six catches.
Williams’ milestone
According to Sportradar, the last starting QB with more than one reception in a game was George Taliaferro of the Baltimore Colts on Dec. 5, 1953, at the Los Angeles Rams. He also became third Chicago QB and first since Matt Barkley in 2017 to have a receiving score.
Wild start
Jones found a seam on the left side and to put the Bengals up 7-0.
The wide receiver also ran a kickoff back for a score last year. He is the first player to return two kickoffs for TDs since the league changed the kickoff format in 2024.
The Bears evened it on the ensuing drive when Moore threw to Williams on a double reverse on fourth-and-goal.
Injuries
Bears: TE Cole Kmet and DB Josh Blackwell suffered concussions and did not return. … DL Dayo Odeyingbo had an ankle injury in the second half.
Bengals: RB Samaje Perine suffered a right ankle injury during a kick return in the first quarter and did not return.
Up next
Bears: Host the New York Giants next Sunday.
Bengals: After a bye, play at Pittsburgh on Nov. 16.
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