The Bears win their fourth game of the season. Read our game story here.
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#Bears against the AFC North this year: 3-0.#Bears against the NFC North this year: 0-4.
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) December 10, 2017
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Winning tastes pretty good, right Tarik Cohen? #DaBears pic.twitter.com/hTeO47y9TS
— Madeline Kenney (@madkenney) December 10, 2017
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Jordan Howard is back — just in time for the fantasy playoffs. He scores on an 8-yard run to bring his totals to 23 carries, 147 rushing yards and two scores. His team leads in a blowout. Bears 33, Bengals 7.
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John Fox wins a challenge! Eddie Jackson rips the ball out of A.J. Green’s hands on the sideline, but officials rule it a completion. Fox challenges, and officials rule it a fumble. Bears ball. Maybe he’s not so awful at challenges. (Maybe not).
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After drawing pass interference on third-and-goal from the 1, Adam Shaheen gets his touchdown on the next play — a 1-yarder on play-action. The rout is on. Seriously. Bears 26, Bengals 7.
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On his birthday, safety Eddie Jackson gets a gift: a ball that bounces off A.J. Green’s hands and into his arms. The Bears’ first turnover of the game gives them the ball at the Bengals’ 43.
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This is Mitch Trubisky’s best game — even if it is against a worn-down Bengals team. The rookie quarterback just kept the ball on a read-option for a four-yard touchdown. He is 22-for-28 for 237 yards, a 101.9 passer rating and no turnovers. He’s even leading. Bears 19, Bengals 7.
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There it is. Wright has 74 yards after a nine-yard catch on third down.
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With a leaping catch about six minutes into the third quarter, receiver Kendall Wright has 65 yards on seven catches. He’s five away from a season-high in yards.
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The Bears ran 38 plays in the first half after running 37 all game against the 49ers.
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Mitch Trubisky is hit in the head on a Hail Mary as time expired, so the Bears get one more chance to chuck it deep. It falls incomplete, and the Bears go into halftime up, 12-7.
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Honestly can't tell if #Bengals fans are booing new #Bears kicker Mike Nugent or saying "Nooooooge." pic.twitter.com/jwtVJe3l9v
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) December 10, 2017
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Absolutely maddening to see the Bears cap an 8:11 drive by kicking a field goal on fourth-and-1 from the 9. They’re 3-9 with nothing to lose. Why not try to score a touchdown? With a first down, they could, in the worst possible scenario, run the clock down to the one-minute mark and kick a field goal. Instead, they boot a 27-yarder now. 12-7 Bears.
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An Adam Shaheen catch! Wrote today why the Bears had to use him more.
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After Tom Compton’s illegal block in the back penalty wipes out a Tarik Cohen touchdown, the Bears are eventually left with third-and-19 from the 22. They throw a short pass, get five yards and Mike Nugent boots a 34-yard field goal. Bears 9, Bengals 7.
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At the end of the first quarter, Jordan Howard is back in business. He has 51 yards — more than the previous two games combined — on six carries.
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John Fox has now won 6-of-15 challenge attempts with the Bears and 48-of-130 overall.
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Mitch Trubisky had Josh Bellamy wiiiiide open down the left numbers — it might have been a touchdown — but couldn’t get the throw away. He scrambled and threw, but was ruled to have thrown past the line of scrimmage. John Fox challenges the call, for some reason — and loses.
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Kyle Fuller broke up a deep pass attempt to A.J. Green and then tackled Brandon La Fell between the hashes. Good start for the Bears cornerback.
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Looked too easy for the Bears. Jordan Howard scores a 21-yard touchdown on his first carry of the game — one play after Tarik Cohen thought he scored but stepped out of bounds. Mike Nugent hits the upright in his extra point try against his former team. Bears 6, Bengals 0.
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Bears start their drive after a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Cody Core, who ran out of bounds while covering a punt and didn’t rush to get back in. The Bengals had 13 penalties for 173 yards last week.
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Chris Prosinski is starting again, for some reason. The Bears have the opportunity to get a look at second-year player Deon Bush, who’s healthy this week, at safety. Yet they’re not doing it. Isn’t it time to consider the future when making personnel moves?
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The Pat O’Donnell kickoff experience lasted one game. New kicker Mike Nugent boots for the Bears.
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The Bears, America’s greatest coin flip team, wins the coin toss for the ninth time in 13 games. They defer, per usual. But it’s fair to wonder, why? The Bears have scored one offensive touchdown in the third quarter all year. Why ensure you get the ball first in the second half then?
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Bengals fatigue has hit Cincinnati, it seems. Blame the weather or just a 5-7 team, but there is absolutely zero buzz inside Paul Brown Stadium.
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Tom Compton is warming up at right guard; he’ll take the place of Kyle Long, who went on IR this week.
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Pregame reading:
Come for the nugget about Adam Shaheen getting sick before games, stay for the argument for the #Bears rookie TE to play more https://t.co/fYOAkvl4Tn
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) December 10, 2017
4 #Bears questions: On Jordan Howard's struggles, third-quarter ineptitude, the value of firing assistants and more https://t.co/gZOtZjD3ok
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) December 8, 2017
Staying or going? What does the future hold for the #Bears' injured players.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) December 9, 2017
My column, your ?s and a look at Mitch Trubisky's ability to turn the page: https://t.co/kn2D3xPhKT
Pernell McPhee's latest injury puts him in the loss column for #Bears GM Ryan Pace — if he wasn't already. A lesson learned? We'll see. https://t.co/YDP2evzMSR
— Mark Potash (@MarkPotash) December 8, 2017
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The Bears will be without three defensive starters Sunday: Pernell McPhee, Adrian Amos and Eddie Goldman.