Bears 31, Steelers 28: Three observations in Chicago’s NFL Week 12 win

CHICAGO – The Bears spent most of this week unsure if longtime nemesis Aaron Rodgers would play in Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The former Packers quarterback as owned the Bears when playing them, especially at Soldier Field. While Bears players and coaches said they hoped to compete against one of the best ever, but they didn’t get the chance.

Rodgers was inactive for this Week 12 contest with an injury to his non-throwing hand. That left Mason Rudolph to face a banged-up Bears defense missing two starting cornerbacks and all three first-team linebackers.

That’s a tough situation for the home team, even against a backup quarterback. This game remained close heading into the second half, which fit the theme of this Bears season.

It was a close one, and the Bears ultimately secured a 31-28 victory against the Steelers.

Let’s examine three things we learned from this result:

Bears (as always) find a way

The Bears have been in close games all season long. They have been so good late in games to this point, with a 5-1 record in one-score games entering Sunday’s play.

While the Bears had some significant setbacks in this one, they found themselves in another tight game after a strong third quarter where they established a two-score lead. It was cut to one with a Steelers touchdown in the fourth quarter. Then the Bears went three and out and gave the Steelers a chance to tie it or go ahead.

The Bears got a key stop, thanks to Grady Jarrett’s clutch batted pass on third down.

Quarterback Caleb Williams and the Bears offense had a chance to bleed out the clock and secure a victory but couldn’t do it. That gave the Steelers one more shot.

They weren’t able to capitalize. Safety Jaquan Brisker tipped the fourth-down pass to close the game out. While the Bears have won a bunch with late-game drama, the defense was able to close it out with stout play.

Bears defense weathers injury plague

The Bears entered this game without linebackers Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards and Noah Sewell. Star cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon remained on injured reserve at least another week. Tyrique Stevenson suffered an injury during the game. So did weakside linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II.

While the Bears defense remained stout despite this season’s injury plague, those mounting losses could be felt on Sunday. That was especially true against the run early in this game. Steelers running backs that reached the second level were easily gaining extra yards without the typically sure tackling in the linebacker corps.

All those injuries weren’t a death sentence, though, as this game remained tight late. Linebackers D’Marco Jackson and Amen Ogbongbemiga were far from perfect but gave a gritty performance that got better as the game progressed. Nick McCloud struggled some in coverage, allowing a big third-down conversion in the second half. He also got nailed for a pass interference penalty on a deep shot.

Montez Sweat, a rare healthy star, came through with a huge strip sack in the third quarter.

The Bears were able to turn that takeaway into a touchdown, which Kyle Monangai secured from two yards out.

While the defense managed this game well, the Bears will need reinforcements moving forward if they are to remain competitive while navigating the difficult conclusion of the 2025 schedule.

Brutal stretch sets Bears back

The Bears gave up a 95-yard touchdown drive to the Steelers late in the first quarter and then assumed possession after the kickoff. Then Darnell Wright called penalized for holding. Williams threw an incomplete pass. And then, on third down deep in Bears territory, Williams did something inexcusable.

He held the ball way too long, giving Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt enough time to beat Darnell Wright. Williams ended up in the grasp in the end zone and seemingly tried to get rid of the football to avoid the safety. It ended up as a fumble recovered by the Steelers in the end zone.

Those types of mistakes are typically not part of Williams’ game or the Bears winning formula, and this one was a setback of the highest order.

As usual, the Bears survived the sequence and ended up taking a second-half lead. It was the type of miscue that simply can’t happen, and conceded points in a close contest.

The post Bears 31, Steelers 28: Three observations in Chicago’s NFL Week 12 win appeared first on Marquee Sports Network - Home of the Cubs, Bears, Red Stars and Sky.