The Bengals defended their home turf Saturday night, defeating the Chicago Bears 27-9 to improve to 2-0 in the preseason.

QB Josh Johnson got the start for Cincinnati and played the first half, completing 15-of-23 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns. 2026 fourth-round pick WR Colbie Young recorded his first touchdown in stripes on a 17-yard pass from Johnson and finished the night with three catches for 48 yards. WR Dohnte Meyers again led the team in receptions with five for 42 yards. Cincinnati held a 17-9 lead going into the break.

QB Sean Clifford took over for the second half and completed 67% of his passes for 126 yards, a touchdown and an interception. K Evan McPherson made both of his field goal attempts, including a 58-yard attempt in the fourth quarter.

The Bengals finish the preseason Friday, August 28, at 8 PM in Philadelphia against the Eagles.

NOTES

Johnson Finds Young for Go-Ahead TD

The Bengals took a 10-6 lead late in the second quarter when Johnson lofted a perfect pass in the end zone which hit the rookie receiver Young in stride. The scoring play capped off a seven-play, 59-yard drive.

Young, a fourth-round draft choice of the Bengals this past April, had 13 receiving touchdowns at the Division-I level in his collegiate career, with 10 coming at Miami (Fla.) and three at Georgia.

Touchdown Tanner Extends Lead

Cincinnati increased its lead to 17-6 just before halftime when Johnson fired a quick pass on a slant that tight end Tanner Hudson secured for a six-yard touchdown. It finished off a five-play, 63-yard drive which included a 13-yard catch by Young and a 19-yard catch and run by second-year halfback Tahj Brooks.

Clifford Comes Out Firing in Third Quarter

Quarterback Sean Clifford took over to begin the second half, and on his first drive completed four of five passes for 70 yards. He culminated the drive with a perfect 20-yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Noah Thomas, who came down with his second catch of the preseason on the play. Clifford also had a 26-yard completion while throwing on the run to receiver Charlie Jones, and three plays later found Ke'Shawn Williams for a 13-yard gain.

Clifford finished the third quarter with eight completions on 10 attempts for 122 yards and the touchdown, good for a passer rating of 150.8.

Money Mac Drills Nails 58-Yarder

Evan McPherson continued his brilliance in preseason play, as he nailed a 58-yard field goal attempt early in the fourth quarter to increase Cincinnati's lead to 27-9. It marked his 13th FG of 50 or more yards in his preseason career, the most by any NFL kicker since he entered the league in 2021. He hit a 56-yarder to open the scoring last week against Detroit.

McPherson now is 31 of 33 on FG attempts overall in the preseason, and 13 of 15 from 50+ yards. He also is a perfect 23-for-23 on PATs in preseason play.

Third-Down Conversions Set Up McPherson Chip Shot

The Bengals got on the board with a 25-yard field goal by Evan McPherson to complete their opening drive, which traveled 62 yards over 14 plays. Johnson kept the chains moving with a pair of third-down completions, as he hit Young for an 18-yard gain on a third-and-14, then later found Dohnte Meyers for a 14-yard pickup on third-and-10. Three plays later on a third-and-two, Johnson kept the ball on a read option to collect seven yards and a fresh set of downs.

Extra Points

• Center Connor Lew and tight end Erick All Jr., who both missed the first preseason game as they finished recovering from injuries, each started tonight on offense.

• Rookie defensive tackle Landon Robinson got in the sack column for the second straight week, as he took down quarterback Miller Moss for a 12-yard loss on third down to force a punt early in the second half. He later earned a half-sack, teaming up with defensive end Isaiah Foskey in the fourth quarter to force a Bears field goal attempt. Robinson also logged a half-sack last week against Detroit.Rookie defensive tackle Landon Robinson got in the sack column for the second straight week, as he took down quarterback Miller Moss for a 12-yard loss on third down to force a punt early in the second half. He later earned a half-sack, teaming up with defensive end Isaiah Foskey in the fourth quarter to force a Bears field goal attempt. Robinson also logged a half-sack last week against Detroit.

QUOTES

"I thought the quarterbacks were really decisive, made really good decisions, were really good at the operation — getting out of the huddle, utilizing the play clock, utilizing the different teams that we had, getting to our second plays. They blitzed us some. I thought our quarterbacks handled it really well, giving to our checks and executing. Had some good third-and-long conversions, particularly on the first drive. I think overall they did really well." - Head coach Zac Taylor, on the team's quarterback play

"I thought our guys played really clean. We got guys on the ground. We've got to watch the tape and see how we missed tackles, but I thought our guys did a great job leveraging the ball, and getting the ball to the ground. We did a good job taking away some downfield throws and making them check it down underneath. So, I just thought overall that they played very quick." - Head coach Zac Taylor, on the defense's performance

"I think it's always good to go out there and show you can still make plays. In this business, people want to put labels on you and tags on you — everybody thinks they have the right answers. To me, like I said earlier, the one person I know who has the answers is the man above. For me, when I wake up with an opportunity, that means it's purposeful. The purpose for me is to go out there and do whatever my God-given ability will allow me to do. I might not be able to take it to the house anymore, but I can still make plays, move the chains, win with my mind and allow these guys to be great at what they do — make plays." - Quarterback Josh Johnson, on his ability to perform at 40 years old

"I just felt like it was an opportunity to showcase multiple things I can do. Being an athlete, whether it's in jet sweep, outside out wide — just being able to show multiple skills sets that I have." - Wide receiver Dohnte Meyers, on being lined up at multiple spots in the offense