Even with several key pieces missing on defense, the Bears keep winning
There's plenty of good fortune attached to the Bears' 8-3 start, and it's more than just Aaron Rodgers not playing Sunday.
For example, when Pittsburgh trailed by 3 in the fourth quarter, backup quarterback Mason Rudolph scrambled to midfield, but the 20-something-yard gain was nullified by an illegal formation penalty.
On that play the Steelers were in an empty backfield formation and still somehow managed to end up with five in the backfield, because four of the five receivers lined up off the line of scrimmage.
So sure, the Bears are getting some breaks, but the way the defense has held up through a wave of injuries is both impressive and self-inflicted. Clearly, the biggest moment of the offseason was April 8, the day the Bears signed cornerback Nahshon Wright, hours after being released by the Vikings.
Wright and Kevin Byard are tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with 5 (along with Carolina's Jaycee Horn). Among corners who have faced at least 60 targets, Wright is fourth-best in the league in passer rating against. He's been an incredible find with Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon missing so many games.
Sure, we can all scratch our heads and wonder why the Steelers had Rudolph short-arm a jump ball between Wright and D.K. Metcalf on their second snap of the game. But Wright's pick got the defense off the field on a day Pittsburgh averaged 5.2 yards per rush attempt.
Another deep cut paying dividends is linebacker D'Marco Jackson, a late-August waiver claim. He was a fifth-round pick of the Saints in 2022 but didn't make his first start in the NFL until Sunday, when he piled up a game-high 15 tackles. He's been making plays on special teams, getting spot duty on defense, then logged 100% of the snaps in this one.
The decisive stretch in this latest Bears win was a series of defensive stops in the third quarter.
After scoring to take a 24-21 lead, the Bears forced a three-and-out, even after Kenneth Gainwell ran for 8 yards on first down. The next play was an outside run, and edge Joe Tryon-Shoyinka reached out and grabbed Gainwell's jersey while getting blocked. On third-and-2, Gainwell caught a quick pass but was chased down by Jackson for a loss.
The next time Pittsburgh got possession, a pass interference call against Nick McCloud set up the Steelers at the Bears' 35-yard line. On the next play Wright came in on a corner blitz and didn't make the tackle but stopped Jaylen Warren in his tracks before he was dropped for a loss of 2.
The key play came next, when Montez Sweat sacked Rudolph and caused a fumble. The Steelers decided to use tight end Darnell Washington to block Sweat. They also had Connor Heyward in at fullback, but instead of helping on Sweat, he decided to do nothing, then go out for a pass.
Nose guard Andrew Billings actually made this play. He got double-teamed off the snap and was pushed off the line of scrimmage. But he noticed Gainwell heading toward him and adjusted his path to prepare for a pass. Rudolph saw Billings get in the way, hesitated and got hit from behind by Sweat.
Offense rocking
As the band Spinal Tap once said, 'There's a fine line between stupid and clever.” In the case of the Bears offense, the fine line is clever and simple.
The Bears didn't run the ball very well Sunday. This was another day when the interior offensive line struggled against the defensive tackles.
But Ben Johnson and staff found a way through a mix of simple concepts and occasional genius. Some standards that worked well were matching up Colston Loveland against a linebacker. Or using play action and run formations to draw in the linebackers, which gave Caleb Williams clean looks at a wide receiver crossing over the middle.
On the first possession of the third quarter, Johnson knew what to do. The Bears went five wide and found the best matchup (Rome Odunze vs. linebacker Nick Herbig) — one move, quick pass over the middle, gain of 17.
That drive eventually ended with a touchdown after a bizarre double-blunder by the Steelers — jump offside, then don't bother to cover D.J. Moore. But the Bears set it all up with a solid offensive plan.
Best play
Late in the second quarter, the Bears went empty, then motioned running back Kyle Monangai across the formation. It looked like Williams was going to throw a bubble screen to Monangai. Instead, it was a tunnel screen to slot receiver Luther Burden, who gained 17 yards and set up the field goal at the end of the first half.
Another interesting twist Sunday was when the Bears lined up in a run formation with three tight ends on the field. Then they motioned them all out wide. Williams had three tight ends to his left, Durham Smythe closest to the sideline. None of them really got open, though, and Williams scrambled for 5 yards.