CINCINNATI – With no sloppy practices or other warning signs to foreshadow such a miserable performance, the Bears were blindsided by their own ineptness Sunday in Cincinnati.

Devin Hester established career highs with eight receptions for 101 yards, but he lost this fumble in Sunday's 45-10 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals.

“I thought we were ready to go,” Lovie Smith said after enduring a 45-10 loss to the Bengals that was the most lopsided defeat in his six seasons as Bears coach. “You never really know. We weren’t ready to go, though. That’s what the game told us for whatever reason.”

The Bears defense allowed the Bengals to score six touchdowns and a field goal on their first seven possessions extending into the fourth quarter.

“You can’t [explain it],” said safety Danieal Manning. “They can probably explain it better than we can.  They just wanted it more. They played football, and we didn’t.”

After former Bears running back Cedric Benson rushed for a career-high 189 yards and 1 touchdown on 37 carries, Smith denied that the Bengals added any new wrinkles.

“Not at all,” he said. “They did what they normally do. Running game-wise, it was the same plays that they’ve been running. They made plays. We did not play at all. They were ready to go. They played the way you want to play. Give them a lot of the credit.”

The Bears struggled to explain why they played so poorly Sunday.

“I wish I knew, but it happens,” Smith said. “It happens in the National Football League. You never know for sure when. Our preparation was good. I thought we were ready to go, but again, we weren’t.”

“If I had an answer, I would tell you,” said cornerback Charles Tillman. “We did come out flat and just never really got on track. I could not tell you a reason why.”

After failing to take advantage of numerous opportunities a week earlier in a frustrating loss to the Falcons, the Bears were determined to rebound Sunday in Cincinnati.

“After the Atlanta game, you would have expected us to have a better effort,” said defensive end Adewale Ogunleye. “That was definitely my mindset going into the game. But for whatever reason, I wasn’t able to make any plays. This team and any team in the NFL thrives on big plays, and we just weren’t able to do it.”