The Bengals finally found the end zone in the 2026 preseason, and Jack Endries was the one who finished the play. Joe Flacco put a short pass to the right, Endries secured it for a 4-yard touchdown, and Cincinnati had its first preseason score of the year.
That is the kind of snap that gets searched because it answers a simple question: who made the first touchdown happen for the Bengals? Endries did, and Evan McPherson added the extra point to make it a 3-point swing that put a clean finish on the sequence.
The play mattered because it came in a game where Cincinnati's first-string offense moved the ball in the first quarter but did not always move it comfortably. The offense had some rhythm, but protection remained a problem, especially for Orlando Brown Jr., which made the touchdown stand out even more. When an offense is getting pushed around up front, even a short scoring pass can feel like a small relief rather than a sign that everything is fixed.
There was also a broader shape to the scoring. Earlier, Cashius Howell scooped up a fumble from Jacob Saylors near Detroit's goal line, and McPherson later drilled a 56-yard field goal. One score came from a takeaway, another from a kick, and Endries' catch gave Cincinnati the kind of offensive finish it had not yet produced this preseason.
What remains open is how much more of that Endries will be asked to deliver once the games count. The touchdown gives him the first NFL end zone moment of his career, but it does not by itself settle whether he is headed for a larger role or simply a memorable preseason line. For now, the Bengals have their first preseason touchdown of 2026, and Endries has the kind of first impression that forces coaches to take a longer look.
