CINCINNATI — Back in the offseason program, Bengals coach Zac Taylor wrote on the board of the team meeting room all of the games the team lost last year with a lead or chance to win in the final minutes.One of those games was a 47-42 home loss to the Chicago Bears that included an improbable 58-yard touchdown from Caleb Williams to Colston Loveland with 25 seconds remaining.Those plays, along with so many others, defined the last two seasons.Finishing games served as the emphasis of nearly every move of this offseason. That’s why the mission was to create waves on the defensive line, to add game-changers built for big moments, such as Dexter Lawrence, and to focus on players with winning, championship pedigrees.Coolest things we saw at Bengals-Bears joint practicePaul Dehner Jr. and Kevin FishbainThat’s why after last week’s preseason victory against Detroit, Taylor’s postgame speech included a frustration about the lack of finish from the offense and defense with a vow that it wouldn’t continue. That’s why he added a 20-minute period on Tuesday for added situational finishing work.Covered in sweat from a hot, grueling game-day atmosphere following the Bengals’ joint practice with the Bears on Thursday, Myles Murphy clearly recalled Taylor’s list. And why he knew just how important the final 20 minutes of the joint practice was for this rebuilt Bengals defense.“We were talking on the sideline beforehand, we got to end it,” Murphy said of a period with three possessions where both teams came together in full to simulate attempts to close out a win. “Regardless of what the offense does. We have to really show them what we are about, honestly.”Cincinnati’s defense was about dominance.The final three possessions to determine the winner included a screen pass sniffed out by Lawrence, tipped in the air and intercepted.The next set of downs started with back-to-back Lawrence pressures, then a dominant spin move from Cashius Howell to rush an incompletion by Williams on fourth-and-8.Finally, with Chicago buried deep in its own end, Murphy used a long-arm to get by left tackle Theo Benedet for a sack. He followed that with an inside move, reaching Williams for a safety. Then, with Chicago given another chance, one more pressure from Jonathan Allen up the middle rushed a Jalen Davis interception to elicit the final whistle of the day.TKO, Cincinnati.“In the back of our minds we remember what happened the last time they were here,” linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. said. “This time we got some reinforcements and we are going to come and get after you.”The reinforcements have been evident since the start of training camp, but to see them put into the exact situation they were built for, against another team for the first time, hits different.“Our defensive line validated what has been a hard month for us,” center Ted Karras said. “A hard, good month, it’s been back and forth, but that is a real unit over there.”Karras went on to curse with happiness about watching somebody else have to wrestle Lawrence for once, saying it “validated my own insecurities.”When it comes to building a team with a finishing kick, nobody kicks harder on tired linemen than the 6-5, 350-pound Lawrence. Criticized at times in New York for not being in the best shape, Lawrence used Thursday as his latest example of leaving that image in the past. In fact, the only aspect of his past that showed up Thursday was his All-Pro 2023 season.So, is that the Dex Effect?“You’ll see more,” he said with a laugh.In his viral moment of the day, tipping the screen pass for an interception, showed off what Bengals linemen and coaches rave about. He’s not just massive; his instincts and intellect are nearly as powerful.“That’s just reading,” Lawrence said. “Knowing your pass rush is not that good for you to be let free like that. Just knowing that and the flow of the whole practice. They were running a good amount of screens so I felt that same feeling again. I felt Caleb drift and just played the running back.”The Bears don’t line up stiffs on the interior. Center Garrett Bradbury is flanked by stars Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, making a combined $32 million per season. After Lawrence’s second straight disruption in the backfield following the interception, he stood alone after the play pointing toward the ground with both hands as a reminder any continuation of that play in a real game wouldn’t occur.“That s––– is him,” Murphy said. “Being disruptive. Getting on the quarterback’s toes. That’s exactly what we need. Pushing the pocket. We are going to burn the edge. Creating havoc. We are going to make things extremely messy for the quarterback.”There was no mess for the quarterback last year in the Bengals’ late losses to the Jets, Bears, Patriots, Bills and Browns. All featured final drives where one stop would have equaled a win or handed the ball to the offense to produce one.Thursday was the first atmosphere to truly replicate those closing conditions for the first team, at least, while going against a different team.“It felt like a game atmosphere,” safety Jordan Battle said. “It’s fun to see how you match up against another team and see how we finish felt like a good accomplishment.”A defensive line where Murphy, Allen, Lawrence, Howell and Boye Mafe can all enjoy superlatives represented the vision de facto GM Duke Tobin and his staff set forth to create.Tobin spoke to the media at four mileposts of the offseason. He mentioned finishing games every time.It needed to look like Thursday’s dominant conclusion. That’s the missing component.The defense wasn’t perfect. Chicago roasted it in a red zone period early in the day with three touchdown passes. There were blown coverages at times, and DJ Turner got caught being overaggressive, allowing a few important completions. They generally started the day slowly.Cincinnati Bengals Camp: Dexter Lawrence, Boye Mafe and moreRobert MaysIn the big picture of judging this rebuilt defense, however, the finish mattered most. The finish did more than validate Karras’ insecurities; it validated the Bengals’ organizational strategy of throwing all assets at stars and depth on the line and that fixes the root of all evil.“That’s exactly what we are looking for,” Murphy said. “Not just across the line but in our depth, too. Regardless of who is out there, just put in the work, call a number and we’ll get the result we are looking for.”Players entered the home locker room after practice, drenched and recounting the biggest moments of the day with fist bumps and high fives littering the room.There was a buzz of excitement, but a hushed atmosphere with post-practice interviews and a Burrow news conference unfolding.Then, Knight and Barrett Carter entered. They stopped in their tracks at first glance and turned to the sound system on the wall by the entryway.Carter found a banger and hit play. The speakers pumped and shook the walls.The defense conclusively finished off a win, checking off one of the most important boxes of August with a Sharpie. Maybe this was just practice, but it felt like a win. It needed to feel like a winning locker room.“Not to say the offense is not the heartbeat of this team, but as we go, everybody else goes,” Knight said. “Great defenses win championships. If we can continue to back up what we are doing and build that confidence of getting No. 9 and getting 1 and 5 the ball as soon as possible, that is the main goal. They know how to work magic. We are learning how to work magic on our side as well.”