CINCINNATI (AP) — Caleb Williams connected with Colston Loveland for a 58-yard touchdown 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 final two minutes and two lead changes in the final minute.
After Joe Flacco put the Bengals ahead 42-41 with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Andrei Iosivas, Chicago (5-3) took control at its own 28-yard line with 54 seconds left. Four plays later, on first down from the 42-yard line, Williams found Loveland up the middle. The rookie tight end caught it at the Bengals’ 36-yard line, bounced it off Cincinnati defenders Jordan Battle and Geno Stone and ran into the end zone to give Chicago its fifth win in six games.
Williams passed for 280 yards and three touchdowns, and also caught a touchdown pass from DJ Moore on a trick play for the Bears’ first points. He later received a 20-yard pass from Tyson Bagent, becoming the first starting quarterback in nearly 82 years with multiple receptions in a game.
Flacco, 40, who did not practice Wednesday and Friday after injuring his right shoulder joint in last week’s loss to the New York Jets, completed 30 of 44 passes for a career-high 470 yards and four touchdowns. But the Bengals scored at least 30 points and lost for the second straight week and sixth time since last season.
Cincinnati (3-6) had not scored 40 or more points in a loss since losing 51-45 to Cleveland on Sept. 16, 2007.
Cincinnati has lost two in a row and six of seven. He allowed at least 31 points for the third straight game.
