Bear Digest

Chicago Bears and Cincinnati Bengals: TV, Radio and Betting

How to watch Saturday's Bears and Bengals preseason game as well as radio information, the latest betting lines and a capulized look at key points about the game.

Gene Chamberlain

Joe Burrow will not see action against the Bears in Saturday's game but the Bears will be using their starters.
Joe Burrow will not see action against the Bears in Saturday's game but the Bears will be using their starters. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer via Imagn Content Services, LLC
In this story:

Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) at Chicago Bears (2-0)

Kickoff: Noon, Saturday, Aug. 17

Where: Soldier Field, Chicago

TV: Fox 32, NFL Network (Adam Amin, Jim Miller, Lou Canellis)

Radio: ESPN AM-1000 (Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer, Jason McKie)

Spanish Radio: Latino Mix 93.5 FM (Omar Ramos, Miguel Esparza)

The Line: Fanduel and Draftkings both have it at Bears by 6 1/2, over/under 36 1/2.

The Coaches: Bengals coach Zac Taylor is 37-44-1 in his sixth season, 3-10-1 in preseason, and 0-1 against the Bears in the regular season. Cincinnati was 9-8 last year and finished last in the AFC North.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus is 10-24 in his third season, 6-2 in preseason and hasn't faced Cincinnati as head coach in the regular season. The Bears were 7-10 last season and in last place in the NFC North.

NATE DAVIS PRACTICING AND READY TO PROVE HIMSELF TO NFL WORLD

ANALYSIS: DEFENSE CONTINUES TO SHOW IT CAN BACKSTOP FOR CALEB WILLIAMS

BEARS PLAN TO USE STARTERS AFTER RAIN-SOAKED PRACTICE

AUSTIN BOOKER MAKES BRINGING IN ANOTHER EDGE RUSHER A TOUGHER DECISION

The Matchup: It's the first home game for QB Caleb Williams. He and Bears starters will play for the second straight preseason game, the length of time on field to be determined by the game flow according to Eberflus. Expect something similar to last game in terms of play reps (18), dispersed through two or three drives. The Bengals will not use their starters, according to what Taylor said early in the week. The Bears do have several defensive players who have been ramping up to get over injuries, including Montez Sweat, Tyrique Stevenson, Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon. So it's possible they might not start. Stevenson, Gordon and Sweat got into part of the scrimmage against the Bengals earlier in the week but did not participate in the full practice.

Last Week: The Bengals lost 17-14 with Tampa Bay's subs producing the Buccaneers win in the second half after QB Joe Burrow started and went 5 of 7 for 51 yards and threw a 10-yard TD pass to Tee Higgins. Williams made his debut and went 4 of 7 for 95 yards and directed two drives to field goals in a 33-6 win over Buffalo. The defense had eight sacks and a pick-6 by linebacker Micah Baskerville.

What to Watch: Starting and roster battles come more into focus now as the Bears have only two more practices before their final preseason game and then only a few more practices after it before the final roster cutdown from 90 to 53 comes on Aug. 27. How guard Nate Davis and center Coleman Shelton perform on the offensive line, the running back situation with the Velus Jones Jr. experiment continuing as a ball carrier out of the backfield are key to among those. Williams' ability to hook up with Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze in the passing game is another point to consider. Neither were able to catch passes in the first game. Williams' sharpness overall is another aspect to consider. He was picked off by Germaine Pratt early in the practice with Cincinnati but then looked on point after that. Punter Tory Taylor will get to test his leg at Soldier Field for the first time in a game. For the Bengals, it means a lot of Andrei Iosivas, Charlie Jones and Jermaine Burton chasing Jake Browning and Logan Woodside passes.

Of Note: Bears nose tackle Andrew Billings is facing his old team. ... Bengals fourth quarterback is undrafted rookie Rocky Lombardi, the former Northern Illinois University quarterback who went undrafted by the NFL in April.

Next Week: The Bears close out preseason Thursday, Aug. 22 at Kansas City while the Bengals are at home on Thursday against the Indianapolis Colts to close preseason.

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Twitter: BearsOnSI

Published
Gene Chamberlain

GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.