It did not end the way the Chicago Bears had hoped, but starting quarterback Caleb Williams was able to get his first preseason action on Saturday night against the Cincinnati Bengals, fresh off the heels of a joint practice on Thursday.
The Bears ended up losing the game against the Bengals, 27-9, after putting up a sloppy effort on both sides of the ball. There were a lot of penalties and that was Williams' main complaint about the game.
"It felt good and smooth out there, no complaints other than needing to avoid penalties," Williams said. "When we get penalties, it's my job and the other guys' job to get us back in position to help Ben (Johnson) out. There aren't many calls for second- or third-and-20, so we just need to do a better job with that. But it was good getting back into game mode."
Williams completed two passes in this game — the first to wide receiver Rome Odunze for 18 yards and the second to tight end Colston Loveland for 10 yards — on five attempts for 28 yards. He also had a completion to running back Roschon Johnson that did not count due to an illegal contact penalty against the Bengals.
Chicago's starters got all the way down to Cincinnati's 17-yard line before a holding penalty against left tackle Braxton Jones set them back 10 yards. They were not able to overcome that penalty and had to settle for a 45-yard field goal from kicker Cairo Santos. It was Santos' first of three field goals in the game; he also missed a 53-yard field goal.
In all likelihood, this will be the only preseason action Williams and some of Chicago's other starters get. The Bears will finish their preseason against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday, Aug. 29 ahead of roster cutdowns on Aug. 30.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears QB Caleb Williams reacts to preseason performance vs. Bengals