Defensive players, Rome Odunze seize the day: Standouts from the Chicago Bears' win over the Bengals
CHICAGO - The Chicago Bears needed a few sparks to get going. They got them on both sides of the ball.
From experienced cornerbacks, to rookie receivers and fringe pass rushers, the Bears had a handful of standout players against the Bengals.
Obviously, Caleb Williams is a player that's going to turn heads. But, there were others that helped spark his big second quarter after a dismal start. We're focusing on those players.
Here are a few standouts from Saturday's 27-3 win over the Bengals.
Kyler Gordon
Gordon showed he's healthy while also showing off some massive versatility.
He's already shown that he's a good cover corner. This was established in his first two seasons in the league. Now, as the Bears' primary nickelback, he's showing his ability to control the line of scrimmage.
His sack and two tackles for loss on Saturday were examples of how talented Gordon is as a penetrating defensive player.
Amen Ogbongbemiga
In Matt Eberflus' H.I.T.S. principle, the "T" stands for "takeaways." Ogbongbemiga got that part down on Saturday.
He intercepted a batted pass that ended a Bengals' offensive drive that made it into Bears' territory. That's a good sign for the Bears that they're takeaway-focused right now.
Ogbongbemiga, who was signed as a special teams ace, showing that he can contribute on defense if called upon is also a sign of how deep the Bears can be as a team.
Rome Odunze
Without Odunze, the Bears' offense may not have jumped alive the way it did.
Odunze's 16-yard end around for the first-string offense moved the chains for the first time in the second quarter. That led to a field goal drive.
Later, Odunze caught an over-the-shoulder, 45-yard reception that Williams completed off balance and on the run. The throw was incredible. The catch, which has a high-level of difficulty, looked easy.
Odunze and Williams kick-started the Bears Saturday, and it's fair to assume they'll do that once or twice this season, too.
Featured
The Bears offense continues to 'wow': Takeaways from the Bears-Bengals preseason game at Soldier Field
Here are our takeaways from the Bears' win over the Bengals on a rainy Saturday, where Kyler Gordon made a statement and the Caleb Williams-led offense made more "wow" moments.
Terell Smith
Speaking of the H.I.T.S. principle, Smith was also a player who took the "T" to heart. He had an interception of his own, picking off an underthrown ball in one-on-one coverage.
Smith is a player that's had a good camp, but is stuck behind entrenched starters. There's no way Smith takes over a starting spot from either Tyrique Stevenson or Jaylon Johnson if both are healthy, but Smith has shown he's a talented corner the Bears can use in a rotational sense.
It never hurts to have a good number of talented players. Smith is one of those the team doesn't have to worry about.
Daniel Hardy
When it comes to sacks, Hardy has been the most consistent this preseason. Hardy had 2.5 sacks against Buffalo, and he had another sack against Cincinnati on Saturday.
He also had two tackles for loss and two quarterback hits.
For a player from FCS Montana State that's aiming to be a fringe roster addition, Hardy is making a strong case for a pass rushing room that wants someone else to emerge outside of Montez Sweat.