Bears take steps backwards in loss to the Bengals

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Bears take their first loss of the preseason and in the 21 -10 loss to the Bengals, both the Bears offense and defense struggled.

Offense: The Bears went into the game without their four starting receivers but it was the play of the offense line that lacked production.

Throughout the game the offensive line was called for a variety of penalties and put Jay Cutler in tough situations. Whether Cutler was trying to avoid getting sacked or having to try to convert a third and long situation, the offensive line failed to help Cutler. Starting left tackle Jermon Bushrod, has not had a great preseason and this was the same case against the Bengals.

The Bears backup receivers play solid with starters out.

Both Marc Mariani and Rashad Lawrence had two receptions and Josh Bellamy caught a pass. Cutler targeted targeted Martellus Bennett the most and he ended the night with seven receptions for 45 yards. Overall the receivers played well, except for the dropped pass over the middle of the field by Lawrence, that could have resulted in a first down.

Cutler had a mediocre game against the Bengals.

Cutler ended the night with 98 yards, completing 13 of 17 passes. Cutler used his legs on one particular play when the pocket collapsed, as it did most of the night and gained 16 yards. Cutler didn’t have much of a chance all game to look for any big plays down field and threw mostly short passes the entire game.

Defense: Just like the first preseason game against the Dolphins the Bears gave up an opening drive touchdown. The three biggest concerns on defense are the lack of pressure the Bears put on opposing quarterbacks, the responsibilities for each player filling in their gaps and the coverage by the linebackers and secondary.

Whether it was Andy Dalton or AJ Mccarron, both quarterbacks had time to throw and picked apart the Bears defense. The defensive line and linebackers didn’t provide any pressure or force either qb to throw the ball away.

There were a couple of instances where linebackers didn’t fill in their gaps and allowed for big runs to happen. In the third preseason game you expect the defense to start clicking together but it was evident that there is still plenty of work to be done.

The coverage by linebackers and the secondary was horrific against the Bengals. There was a play were Shea Mcclellin got beat with a throw over the middle and it resulted in a big gain. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati starting qb actually threw the same pass last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was picked off by the safety. Mcclellin needs to work on his drop back if he wants to remain a starter. The corners and safety’s also played poorly. There weren’t any deflected balls and the receivers made plays on the secondary all game.

What to look for: Overall the Bears performed poorly in their loss to the Bengals and will have to look to rebound as they host the Cleveland Browns next Thursday to conclude the preseason.