Game balls: 5 standouts from the Bears' preseason win over Bengals

The Chicago Bears defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 27-3, on Saturday to advance to 3-0 during the preseason.

The game marked rookie quarterback Caleb Williams' Soldier Field debut. And, despite a slow start that included three straight three-and-outs, he didn't disappoint, along with fellow rookie Rome Odunze. The pair connected for a highlight-worthy deep ball down the left sideline and Williams scored his first of many touchdowns as a Bear.

There were plenty of other standout performances, including a Chicago defense that held Cincinnati to just three points and totaled three takeaways on the afternoon. Here is who earned game balls from the Week 2 preseason win over the Bengals:

QB Tyson Bagent

If there was ever a question about whether Bagent was at risk of losing his job to Brett Rypien or Austin Reed, he put that to bed on Saturday. Chicago's backup quarterback solidified his role as QB2 with a near-perfect outing against Cincinnati. He completed 7-of-8 passes for 87 yards and threw two touchdowns with a 151.6 passer rating, while adding one rush for 10 yards. Bagent showed confidence and was dropping dimes all over the field, where his connection with receiver Dante Pettis really shined. There's no overstating the importance of a good backup quarterback in the league, and the Bears certainly appear to have found one in Bagent.

WR Dante Pettis

Pettis was the beneficiary of Bagent's star-studded day, and he quickly became his favorite target. As Pettis looks to contend for one of the final roster spots, a strong outing like Saturday's will only help him. Pettis caught all three passes thrown his way for a team-high 53 yards and caught two touchdowns from Bagent. Pettis did field one punt on the afternoon, where he lost three yards trying to make a play, but his versatility on special teams certainly helped his case for a roster spot as a WR5 or WR6.

CB Kyler Gordon

Gordon saw his first action of the preseason on Saturday, and he didn't disappoint in his return from injury. He was an absolute force on the field, where his hard-hitting play helped slow down the Bengals offense. Gordon had four tackles, including two tackles-for-loss, 1.0 sack and one QB hit in his limited sample size, showing the kind of impact we can expect from him this season. Heading into Year 3, the sky's the limit for Gordon, who thrived moving to nickel last year. His biggest obstacle will be staying healthy for an entire season in what could be one of the league's best secondaries.

QB Caleb Williams

Williams got off to a rough start with three straight incompletions, followed by three consecutive three-and-outs on offense. But he turned things around in the final minutes of the second quarter, leading the Bears to 10 points and putting on a show for the Soldier Field crowd. Williams once again showed why he's special with his improvisation skills and natural playmaking ability, which included an impressive 45-yard completion to Rome Odunze down the left sideline and his first touchdown as a Bear -- a seven-yard scramble on third-and-goal. It wasn't a perfect afternoon, but Williams showed that he can respond to adversity. And his skillset left NFL fans impressed and Tyreek Hill comparing him to Patrick Mahomes.

DE Daniel Hardy

There have been a number of under-the-radar players making strong statements this preseason, but defensive end Daniel Hardy has been making a strong case for a roster spot. Hardy has strung together back-to-back impressive outings where he's showcased his ability to get after the quarterback. After a 2.5-sack effort last week, Hardy totaled three tackles, two tackles-for-loss, 1.0 sack, two QB hits and a forced fumble. He also had a tackle on special teams. Hardy has been having an impressive preseason, and he's trending toward landing one of the final roster spots.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Game balls: 5 standouts from the Bears' preseason win over Bengals