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Nov 2, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Brian Asamoah II (53) leaps and celebrates after Cincinnati recovered an onside kick against the Chicago Bears during the fourth quarter at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Bears Survive As Bengals Claw Back In Final Minutes

Originally posted on Stadium Rant | By Vincent Leonardi | Last updated Nov 3, 2025 10:43 AM ET

The Bears led 41–27 with 2:15 to go. Chicago fans were feeling good, and half the stadium was empty. From that point, the game got really crazy.

Bears Defense Nearly Lost Them The Game

With the big lead and minimal time left in the game, a win seemed like a sure thing. The Bengals had no timeouts, and the Bears had all the momentum. Bengals QB Joe Flacco had other plans, though. He marched the Bengals right down the field and into the end zone. The Bears’ defense offered little resistance. The drive lasted just 32 seconds, and the score was now 41–35 after a two-point conversion.

Well, the Bears still had hope to not let the lead slip away. The Bengals needed to recover the onside kick, which is harder than in years past, with teams having to declare they will be doing it, and the NFL average recovery rate is not high.

Well, the Bengals found a way to fall on the ball as the Bears failed to scoop it up.

Cincinnati had the ball on their own 43 with 1:42 remaining. All the Bears needed was to force a turnover on downs or keep them out of the end zone. Well, the defense didn’t seem to get the message.

Flacco dropped dimes to one of their top weapons on the outside, wide receiver Tee Higgins. The outstanding wide receiver out of Clemson made some acrobatic catches, one being a 23-yard deep ball from Flacco down the sideline.

Higgins gave the Bengals a chance to go ahead. Well, long story short, they did, on a nine-yard TD pass to tight end Andre Iosivas.

The extra point went right through the uprights and put the Bengals ahead.

Michigan Tight End Colston Loveland Is The Hero For The Bears

The scoreboard read Bengals 42, Bears 41. Chicago fans and players were stunned. Just minutes ago, they were getting ready to celebrate a strong win. Now, they were left scrambling to figure out how to recover and win this game.

Enter rookie tight end Colston Loveland, the 10th overall pick in last year’s draft. He proved why on the last drive. After a couple of incomplete passes by Caleb Williams and a scramble, it set up a 3rd-and-10 from the Bears’ 42 with 25 seconds left. They just needed a field goal and would likely need 20+ yards to get into position to kick one.

With no timeouts, Williams dropped back to pass and launched a deep ball to Colston Loveland. He made the catch with defenders attempting to get him down, and ran it to the house.

Nov 2, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland (84) runs with the ball for a 58-yard touchdown play against Cincinnati Bengals safety Jordan Battle (27) during the fourth quarter at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

The Bears went up 47–42 after a failed two-point conversion. That score held up as the Bears survived a wild game.

End Of My Chicago Bears Rant

The Bears needed this game after a tough loss last week against Baltimore. They didn’t make it easy, but they got it done. The defense needs to be better in the future—it’s as simple as that.

This article first appeared on Stadium Rant and was syndicated with permission.

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