CHICAGO - Bears No. 1 overall pick Caleb Wiliams may have danced into the end zone on a seven-yard touchdown run in his Soldier Field debut Saturday, but the Bengals backup defense held him to a miserly 75-yard passing day in his first half of work.
Williams worked the first half of a 27-3 preseason win, but completed just six of his 13 passes for a 64.6 passer rating during a sequence rookie defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr. sacked him in the red zone.
"I think they did a great job. Three three-and-outs (to start the game), that's an excellent job," said Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. "I thought a lot of guys capitalized on the opportunities to show us what they can do."
Jenkins, the second-rounder from Michigan, used a spin move to get around the Bears' starting offensive line.
"It's a move I didn't really think about later in my (college) career," Jenkins said. "It's a good feeling, but I just feel like I've got a lot more to do."
_Evan McPherson, expected to sign a contract extension in the coming days, negotiated the soggy field for a 54-yard field goal on the last play of the first half during his first game with punter Ryan Rehkow as his only holder.
After missing a 58-yarder in last week's preseason opener in the same situation and then hitting the right upright from 51 yards at the end of Thursday's joint practice with the Bears in a rainy two-minute drill, McPherson had a smile.
"It was good to get that one through. Get the confidence rolling a little bit," McPherson said. "And it was good for Ryan to get in those situations. It's funny how it played out similar to last week. I'm glad this week we were able to execute."
McPherson also liked romping in the rain, although the new sod at Soldier Field had him wary as he watched his buddy, Bears kicker Cairo Santos, warm up.
"They put down the sod Thursday and there were seams everywhere," McPherson said. "You have to make sure you don't plant on it because it was shifting … I was just making sure I was planting in the middle of the sod."
McPherson, though, was glad it poured.
"Their rain practice came in handy," McPherson said. "We hadn't done any wet ball drills until Tuesday. We did check the radar (in Chicago) and saw it was going to rain I think we handled it pretty well."
_Bengals rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton returned punts and kicks in a game for the first time in his life and he said after the game he'd love to do it.
"I think I can be good at it," Burton said. "It's pressure. I think that's why I liked it."
With punt returner Charlie Jones (knee) improving but not playing yet and running back Chris Evans (knee) out for the year, Burton returned both in the first half. He returned two kicks, one for for 29 yards, and two punts for seven yards, but he had a 24-yarder called back.
_Taylor played only two starters, cornerbacks Dax Hill and DJ Turner with the Twos, and he got Hill out after two series and Turner out after three. He said they'll both get plenty of work in this Tuesday's joint practice against the Colts.
_For the second straight game, rookie linebacker Maema Njongmeta led the Bengals with seven tackles.
_Taylor called the trip a success, pointing to the bonding since they left Wednesday.
