The Chicago Bears are playing an AFC team for the third straight time this preseason, and even though the Cincinnati Bengals missed the playoffs in 2023, this is still a playoff contender with a strong roster. But this week, the Bengals plan to bench their starters to start the game. The Bears plan to open the game with their number one players, but I wouldn’t expect much more than a two-man streak depending on how the game goes.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles and his assistant Ian Cunningham walked the turf at Soldier Field this morning to inspect it. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweeted that this was normal pregame routine, but he noticed some seams from where they laid the turf.
You can discuss the game here in this open thread, but remember that all of our open threads are rated WCG-MA.
Check out Taylor Doll’s amazing Bears-Bengals preview where she spoke to Cincinnati beAt reporter Jeremy Rauch to get his thoughts on the game and what he saw from Caleb Williams and the Bears at practice together.
Here’s the video version with the Bears and Caleb stuff at about 25 minutes.
You can find the full podcast here.