A look at the Bengals' 47-42 loss to the Bears Sunday at Paycor Stadium

Player of the Game

Joseph Vincent Flacco.

In just his fourth game in Cincinnati, Flacco joined the Bengaldom honor roll with one of the gutsiest performances in team history. With an injured AC joint in his throwing shoulder that made him questionable on the injury report and limited him to one practice this week, Flacco broke the 400-yard barrier for the first time in his 199^th start with 470.

"What Joe Flacco did for us this week, you'll never forget," said grateful head coach Zac Taylor. "Flacco could barely lift his arm this week, and he's willing to go put himself out there for a bunch of teammates he's been with for three weeks.

"He said, 'I'm a football player. That's what I do for a living,' and oftentimes you need that throughout the locker room. Go out there and do whatever it takes to win a game."

Taylor has been saying that all week. And on Saturday, before they went to the hotel, Taylor put Flacco on the board as an example in the team meeting. Wide receiver Andrei Iosivas, who caught the nine-yard bullet touchdown Flacco threw with 54 seconds left that allowed the Bengals to take that ever so brief lead, recalled how Taylor put it.

"This is someone who represents a Bengal to the fullest. Being a hungry, accountable teammate. That's what he is," Iosivas said. "Honestly, he's one of the greatest leaders I've been around."

The injury didn't prevent Flacco from airing it out. He lofted a 44-yard touchdown dime to wide receiver Tee Higgins, clothes-lined a 23-yard touchdown to tight end Noah Fant, and hit wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase in stride for a 32-yard catch and run.

"It's funny, but I struggled with the short, dump-down throws," Flacco said. "Where I just flick it and don't think about it."

Charlie Hustle

Bengals wide receiver Charlie Jones did what no Bengal ever did Sunday when he took the opening kickoff at home and ran it back for a touchdown. And, a week after Leapin' Lemar Parrish was inducted into the Bengals Ring of Honor, Jones joined him as the only Bengals who have combined for at least three career kick or punt return touchdowns.

Jones followed linebacker Oren Burks and defensive end Cedric Johnson (on Johnson's first snap of the season off injured reserve) and broke the left middle wide open basically untouched for 98 yards and the score.

That goes with last year's 100-yarder to open the win in Cleveland, and the 81-yard punt return touchdown against Baltimore.

"Now he's done it (on kicks) on the road and at home," said special teams leader Tycen Anderson. "What a way to start the game."

Throw in running back Samaje Perine’s 38-yard return and rookie running back Tahj Brooks’ 31, the Bengals racked up a team record 297 kick return yards.

Analytics Amnesia

Burks, the eight-year vet who has started the last two Super Bowls for different teams, again blew away the analytics when he recovered Evan McPherson’s onside kick at the Bengals 43 with 1:42 left after Flacco cut it to 41-35 on a two-point feather to Higgins

With the new kickoff alignment, teams must declare the onside attempt, eliminating the surprise. Plus, the NFL prohibits teams from trying it unless they were trailing in the fourth quarter. It's been so bad, when the owners met last week to figure out if they could make it better, they were looking at stats that said three of 50 attempts were recovered in 2024 for a 6% probability.

But the Bengals made it 100% when McPherson spun a ball to his left. It was short the necessary 10 yards, but Bears defensive lineman Daniel Hardy let it go through his hands, and chaos ensued.

"Then it was just clawing and scratching for the ball," Burks said when asked what happened. "It was a scrum."

TE—EE—EE

In spectacular fashion, Higgins set the Bengals record Sunday with his ninth straight home game with a touchdown that gave the Bengals a 20-17 lead with 72 seconds left in the first half. He hauled in that 44-yarder from Flacco on the left sideline after Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright mauled him, and as Higgins fended off Wright, he also, somehow, stretched out his hands to pluck it away and then ran away as Wright no doubt pondered how he had his pocket picked in board daylight.

"It was one of those ones where you've just got to kind of give him his props," Wright said. "I thought I had it, because I was inside looking for the ball. Next thing you know, he came down with it."

But Higgins did a lot more than that. He had season-highs seven catches and 121 yards while adding another touchdown to account for 14 points in a dominant effort. (How about that leaping 23-yard catch he ripped from safety Jaquan Brisker with 71 seconds left that put the ball on the cusp of the red zone and Paycor in pandemonium?)

In four games with Flacco, Higgins has 19 catches for 223 yards and four touchdowns on 29 targets.

"He's really good. I hate to be so simple and have such a bad answer, but I mean, did you see the catch he made on that go route for the first touchdown?" Flacco asked. "It was incredible. I mean, I was laughing. It was just stupid. It was crazy, and I think everybody kind of realized it.

"I had one-on-one with him. I don't really know if I should have thrown it up or just come down. But I'm like, 'It's one-on-one? I'll put one up there.' And as I let it go, I honestly was kind of like, 'I don't know,' and the next thing you know, it's a touchdown."

Quote of the Day

Zac Taylor on his emotions as the Bengals lost their second home game in a week despite scoring 80 points:

"I just can't believe it. Can't believe it. The game was right there, and we just don't find a way to get it done. The game was right there, and all we have to do is make one play. Just one play, and some of these losses turn into wins."

What's Next

The 3-6 Bengals go into their bye week trying to improve a defense that allowed 86 points and 537 rushing yards in the last two weeks. When they return, they'll prepare for a 1 p.m. game on Nov. 16 in Pittsburgh to face the AFC North leaders they beat here on Nov. 16.

"We're going to find a way. We're going to do everything we can to find a way," Taylor said. "I think it's impossible for me to say yes or no. We're going to be trying everything we can, so we'll just keep working at it."

Slants and Screens

Ja'Marr Chase may have racked up the quietest 100-yard game in Bengals history when he finished with 111 yards on six catches. Chase came in as the NFL's leading receiver and extended his current NFL-best streak of at least 90 yards to four games.

"I don't know exactly what was working, at the end of the day," Chase said. "It was a lot. Everybody had an opportunity to touch the ball today, so the offense was very versatile today."

That's his fourth 100-yarder of the season, two away from A.J. Green's club record of six …

The Bengals had a shot to blow the Bears out. Joseph Ossai’s third-down sack on the Bears' first drive probably would have forced a punt. But it was wiped away on rookie linebacker Demetrius Knight’s illegal contact penalty and the Bears scored a touchdown five minutes later.

On the Bears' second drive, Bears kicker Cairo Santos missed a 47-yarder, but cornerback DJ Ivey was called offsides. The Bears converted the fourth-and-one and scored a touchdown two plays later.

"I keep working with the players we've got. That's what we're going to do. We're going to keep finding solutions with the guys we have," Taylor said …

A week after his best running game in three years and a few minutes after his big 38-yard kick return, Perine suffered what appeared to be a serious ankle injury at the end of his next return (a 25-yarder) early in the second quarter and didn't return …