| MATCHUP | Chicago Bears | Cincinnati Bengals |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 1-0 | 1-0 |
| Spread | -1.5 -112 | +1.5 -108 |
| Moneyline | -125 | +105 |
| Total | Over 36.5 (-112) | Under 36.5 (-108) |
| Where | Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, OH | |
| When | Saturday, August 22, 2026 | |
| Time | 07:00 PM EDT | |
| TV | Bengals Preseason TV Network | |
Chicago Bears Betting Preview
The Bears had a pretty good season overall but fell short of their ultimate goals in the playoffs last year. Chicago finished at 11-6 in the record column, which gave the team an NFC North title—snapping a seven-year drought in the process. After a Wild Card Playoffs win versus the rival Packers, the Bears’ season came to an end with a Divisional Round loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
In their 2026 preseason debut versus the Cleveland Browns, Chicago was all tied up 10-10 at the break. The Bears scored 24 unanswered points from there however, powering out a 34-10 win. Case Keenum was 9-of-10 for 151 yards and two scores while Tyson Bagent had 169 yards with a TD and a pick. Kaden Davis led the receivers on four grabs for 88 yards.
Cincinnati Bengals Betting Preview
Over on the Bengals’ side, they had a fairly forgettable run in 2025. Cincinnati took a step back from their 9-8 record the season before, logging a 6-11 run for a third-place finish in the AFC North. Despite starting 2-0 and finishing on a 2-1 run, Cincinnati won just two games from September 14 through December 21. It was the team’s third straight missed playoffs.
Cincinnati took on the Detroit Lions in their preseason opener last Thursday. The Bengals were able to score in every quarter and eked out a 16-14 win in the end. QB Josh Johnson logged 84 yards, and Joe Burrow put up 39 yards on 5-of-6 passing. Kendall Milton led the rush on nine carries for 21 yards and lead receiver Dohnte Meyers had three grabs for 29 yards.
Chicago Bears @ Cincinnati Bengals Betting Trends
Why the Chicago Bears will win
- The Bears have won each of their last six games as slight favorites (<-3.5 points).
- The Bears have covered the spread in four of their last five games against NFC South opponents.
Total Points Facts
- Five of the Bears’ last six road openers against NFC opponents have gone OVER the total points line.
Chicago Bears Player Prop Facts
- Caleb Williams has recorded 220+ passing yards in five of the Bears’ last six games as favorites.
- Cole Kmet has recorded 14+ receiving yards in each of the Bears’ last six regular season games.
- D’Andre Swift has recorded 58+ rushing yards in five of the Bears’ last six games as favorites against NFC opponents.
- D’Andre Swift has scored a touchdown in five of his last six appearances on the East Coast.
- D’Andre Swift has recorded 69+ rushing and receiving yards in 12 of the Bears’ last 13 games against NFC opponents.
- Caleb Williams has recorded 19+ completions in seven of the Bears’ last eight Sunday road games.
- Caleb Williams ranked T2nd in the league for batted pass attempts (18) last season.
Matchup/League Facts
- Bears – two different players recorded 100+ rushing yards in a game last season – equal-most in the NFL.
- The Bears ranked 1st in the NFL in interceptions (23) last season.
Why the Cincinnati Bengals will win
- The Bengals have won each of their last eight games as favorites without Drew Sample.
- The Bengals have covered the spread in each of their last five games as favorites against NFC South opponents.
Total Points Facts
- Eight of the Bengals’ last nine games without Tanner Hudson have gone OVER the total points line.
Cincinnati Bengals Player Prop Facts
- Chase Brown has recorded 90+ rushing and receiving yards in each of the Bengals’ last seven games at Paycor Stadium.
- Joe Flacco has recorded 217+ passing yards in each of his last seven September appearances with his team as a home favorite.
- Ja’Marr Chase has recorded 86+ receiving yards in 10 of his last 11 appearances at Paycor Stadium.
- Chase Brown has recorded 66+ rushing yards in each of the Bengals’ last four games as favorites.
- Chase Brown has scored two or more touchdowns in three of the Bengals’ last four games as favorites.
- Chase Brown has scored at least one touchdown in each of the Bengals’ last four games as favorites.
- Joe Burrow has recorded 24+ completions in each of his nine previous home appearances in games with a total points line of at least 50.0.
- Joe Flacco recorded the most passing yards in a single game last season (470 vs Bears, Week 9).
Matchup/League Facts
- Bengals – five different players recorded 2.0 sacks or more in a game last season – equal-most in the NFL.
- The Bengals ranked 32nd in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game (147.1) last season.
Bears vs Bengals Prediction
I’ll stick with the Bengals but this is another preseason coin flip. For what it’s worth, Cincinnati had some bright spots in their exhibition win over Detroit. The Bengals managed 256 yards overall with 33:29 in time of possession but could only muster 15 first downs and 3.7 yards per play. On defense Cincinnati bagged three takeaways and held Detroit to just 4-of-11 on third-down conversions. The Bengals did commit 10 penalties in a sloppy overall game (19 total penalties) however.
As for the Bears, they came alive after halftime in their preseason opener versus the Browns. Chicago eventually posted 430 yards (348 passing) with 6.8 yards per play and 22 first downs but didn’t do very well on third-down tries (4-of-12). The defense gave up just 13 first downs and had three takeaways, so there are plenty of positives moving forward here.