Game
Story
CHICAGO 16, CINCINNATI 13 (OT)
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CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Paul Edinger kicked a 48-yard field goal
with 41 seconds remaining in overtime, lifting the Chicago Bears
to a 16-13 exhibition victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Edinger atoned for a miss from 39 yards with 4:46 left in the
extra session.
It was just the second overtime exhibition game in Bears
history. Chicago posted a 20-17 victory over Buffalo in
overtime in 1997.
Akili Smith, trying to reclaim his starting quarterback job for
the Bengals, capped an 85-yard drive in the fourth quarter,
scoring on an eight-yard run with 1:53 left to tie the contest
at 13-13.
Selected third overall in the 1999 draft, Smith was third in the
rotation on Saturday behind Jon Kitna and Scott Mitchell. He
went 4-of-5 for 35 yards.
Kitna, signed as a free agent in the offseason, was 8-of-18 for
65 yards while Mitchell was 2-of-4 for 13 yards. Kitna is
expected to be the club's starter.
Chicago also has a battle for its starting quarterback job
between Shane Matthews, Jim Miller and 1999 first-round pick
Cade McNown.
Matthews started and was 2-of-4 for three yards. Miller is
injured and did not play while McNown was impressive in his
brief stint.
McNown was booed loudly when he entered the game in the second
quarter but recovered from that to go 9-of-15 for 75 yards,
including a six-yard TD pass to Dez White late in second quarter
that gave Chicago a 13-3 lead.
Danny Wuerffel played most of the second half for the Bears at
quarterback and was 12-of-20 for 150 yards and an interception.
Bears first-round pick, wide receiver David Terrell, came on in
the third quarter and had two catches for 19 yards.
Curtis Keaton led the ground game for the Bengals, carrying 16
times for 87 yards. Rudi Johnson, a fourth-round pick, added 52
yards on 13 attempts.
Defensive end Justin Smith, the Bengals first-round pick,
remains unsigned.