Roquan Smith had eight tackles, one sack and an interception return for a 53-yard score and the Chicago Bears held off the visiting Cincinnati Bengals for a 20-17 win Sunday afternoon.
Allen Robinson II added a touchdown reception for Chicago (1-1), which won its home opener. Rookie quarterback Justin Fields completed six of his 13 passes for 60 yards and an interception and rushed 10 times for 31 yards as an injury replacement for starter Andy Dalton, who left because of a knee injury.
Cincinnati (1-1) rallied with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns but could not overcome four turnovers on offense. Bengals signal-caller Joe Burrow completed 19 of 30 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns, but threw interceptions on three consecutive passes in the second half.
The Bears seized a 7-0 lead on their first possession. Dalton fired an 11-yard pass to Robinson, who held on to the ball as he tumbled into the end zone for his first touchdown catch of the season and the 40th of his career.
Dalton injured his knee during a scramble later in the first half. He briefly returned before heading to the locker room for further evaluation.
The former Bengals quarterback spent the second half on the sideline as Fields took over.
Cincinnati cut the deficit to 7-3 midway through the third quarter. Evan McPherson connected on a 53-yard field goal.
A big play by the Chicago defense changed momentum late in the third quarter. Safety Eddie Jackson punched the ball loose from Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, and fellow Bears safety Tashaun Gipson scooped the ball and returned it to the Cincinnati 39-yard line.
The Bears converted the takeaway into three points, settling for a 28-yard field goal by Cairo Santos that made it 10-3 with 14:52 left in the fourth quarter.
The Chicago defense struck again several minutes later. Smith dropped into coverage from his linebacker position, intercepted a pass from Burrow and found daylight for a 53-yard touchdown with 10:55 remaining.
The Bears increased the lead to 20-3 on a 22-yard field goal by Santos with 6:40 left.
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Cincinnati pulled within 20-10 on a 42-yard touchdown pass from Burrow to rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase with 4:39 to go.
An interception by Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson paved the way for a 7-yard touchdown strike from Burrow to Higgins to trim the deficit to 20-17 with 3:39 left.
–Field Level Media