2025 Week 9: Chicago Bears 47, Cincinnati Bengals 42

By Kevin Schroeder
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Updated: November 9, 2025

Tyler who? [Photo: Dylan Buell, Getty Images]

Player Grades

The grading scale goes from -2 to +2, in half-point increments, for each play. Screens are graded as runs. Penalties are counted in whatever phase they were committed. Pre- and post-snap penalties are in the “Misc.” column. “Short” throws are less than 15 yards, “Deep” is over 15 or more. Everything else (scrambles, throwaways, reads, etc.) is under “Miscellaneous.” Parentheses in a column denote grades/snaps from the opposite side of the ball and are not included in grades/snaps from the player’s usual side. Snap counts are from Pro Football Reference. Box score and other relevant info can be found at that link as well.

This week’s problems:

1. The pass rush sucks.

2. The pass rush really sucks.

3. The secondary, which figured to be the strength of the defense, lost its two best members to injury. The one remaining healthy starter at CB got absolutely torched.

4. The linebackers, save for Edmunds, aren’t good in zone coverage, so the only way to handle Chase and Higgins is to double them. Dennis Allen did not do that, and this was the result.

5. Edmunds wasn’t very good in coverage, either.

6. While I think Dennis Allen has done mostly as good as he could be expected to do given the crap he was handed by Ryan Poles, who should be fired, but he really sucks at closing out halves.

7. The special teams sucks.

8. I mean, it really sucks. Seriously, why is Hightower still here? They gave up a kick return TD to start the game, have given up plenty of other big returns this season, and never get any of their own.

9. It’s time to move on from Cairo Santos.

10. Rome Odunze’s dad is insane.

11. Rome dropped two passes and Kmet dropped one.

12. Benedet was rough in pass protection. He was great in the run game, though.

13. Caleb missed a few opportunities. He needs to be a little more decisive. A couple of those opportunities would’ve been TDs. It was a strong day for Caleb overall and the game-winning TD was a thing of beauty. No reason to think he won’t continue to improve.

Monsters

The offense

Chipmunks

The defense and Cairo

Four Stars of the Game

The offensive line, minus Theo Benedet, whose run blocking still gets him an honorable mention and half a star