Steelers News: INSTANT REACTION After 31-28 LOSS vs. The Bears | Rudolph Falls Short In The Clutch

Steelers News: INSTANT REACTION After 31-28 LOSS vs. The Bears | Rudolph Falls Short In The Clutch

[Music] The Pittsburgh Steelers lose to the Chicago Bears uh in the Windy City here in week 12. Close one, disappointing one, frustrating one. Final score 31 to28. This game really felt like it was there for the taking for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Unfortunately, self-inflicted wounds. Um and we’ll talk about those on today’s show. really hurt you in this game. Um, and my major takeaway coming out of this one, guys, is inconsistency is a major vice of this year’s Pittsburgh Steelers team. And unless they find that inconsistency down the stretch here on a really important stretch coming up here over these next six games, um, you know, the chances of this team, you know, doing what other teams in the past haven’t done and win a playoff game, uh, the chances of that are going to be pretty darn low. Welcome into the show, guys. I’m your host, Jack Sperry. Today, we’ll be talking about my takeaways. My instant reaction after this week’s loss. Season’s not over, guys. There’s still a lot of ways to go here. Still some great opportunities for the Steelers to get some big-time wins against some playoff caliber opponents. So, make sure you guys click that subscribe button if you haven’t already because we’re going to be here for our live watch parties for every single Steelers game this year, as well as our extensive coverage on the Pittsburgh Steelers all throughout the 2025 campaign. All right. So, unfortunate 31-28, lots of missed opportunities in this game for the Steelers. And it just felt like, you know, with the Steelers uh with the Steelers run game playing as well as it was today. Jaylen Warren uh was once again pretty darn good in this game. Kenneth Gainwell had 92 yards on the ground, 186 total on the ground for the team. Um you know, with the way they were moving the ball on the ground, it’s really disappointing that they couldn’t get more out of the passing game. Now, the stat line looks like, you know, classic backup caliber quarterback stat line for Mason Rudolph. 21 24 31, but most of those came on, you know, underneath passes. I think he only had one or two downfield passes in this entire game. Uh maybe the best throw he had was the touchdown pass to Pat Fmouth to keep him in it, but less than 200 yards passing today, two turnovers, had a fumble, crucial one in Bears territory in the second half. And then, you know, I thought the Bears, you know, they had a pretty decent offensive game plan to attack what the Steelers like to do. They went under center with a lot of inbreaking routes over the middle on play action and Cal and Caleb hit a lot of those. Lots of explosive plays in the passing game and uh they were really efficient when they had opportunities uh to score and uh they called some really nice plays to get some guys wide open and uh they executed that at a high level. They end up getting 31 points and Steelers had a chance. defense got two stops at the end given the Steelers two chances to score and Mason Rudolph and this offense wasn’t able to get the job done. Talking about some injuries here, DK Metaf did uh you know was banged up multiple times in this game, but he was able to finish. Uh Joey Porter Jr. left the game with a hip injury. Uh so that’s that sucks because this he’s this team’s bonafide number one corner. Um so hopefully he’s going to be able to get back on the field. His injury isn’t anything um you know too serious. And Brick Jones left the game with a head injury according to the team. I’m guessing he got hit in the head and uh he had to enter concussion protocol. So hopefully he’s going to be able to get out of that before next week’s game against the Bills. Calvin Anderson had to finish the game for him. And then James Pierre left the game late with an ankle injury. He got stepped on by DJ Moore, I believed it was, uh late in the game and he wasn’t able to continue. Made the Steelers uh give up their final timeout and that ended up proving pretty costly there. So hopefully Pierre is going to be okay. We’ll have more injury updates probably later in our second postgame show that comes out around halftime of Sunday Night Football later this evening. But now on to my takeaways, man. First one, defense got out coach today. plain and simply um you know Ben Johnson obviously one of the better play callers in the game but you know there’s multiple times today where they scheme guys wide open for Caleb Williams and uh you know Terrell Austin and Mike Tomlin run ran a lot of the same stuff that they like to run single high coverage uh leaving the middle of the field pretty wide open in man free coverage and um you know Caleb honestly didn’t play like phenomenally today he had a couple of big time misses that if he would have just hit some of the throws that he missed in this game. Bears probably score over 40 points in this game. So, um just a disappointing effort from the defense that has looked so good over the last three weeks. Uh just got out out schemed, out coached in this one and that’s just the reality of the situation. Ben Johnson, one of the better coaches in the league. But um that’s just the unfortunate reality as we stand here today. But I thought the defense did uh stand up there at the end of the game. They gave this offense multiple opportunities to go and get a victory in this ball game. You know, they gave them opportunities just down three to either tie or take the lead twice at the end. Not able to execute on either one of them. Um, you know, obviously they did get a couple turnovers today. That that awesome TJ Watt strip sack fumble and then Nick Herbig gets on top of it for a touchdown. Was a great play. Um and it and those seven points, you know, in the end kept the Steelers in this ball game, but just wasn’t enough uh at the end of the day obviously and just got to do a better job getting those stops when they get into the red zone. Uh but really that dropped interception from Kyle Duggar at the end of the first half. It ended up being the difference in the game and I said it at the time. I was like, man, that’s going to give him three points and if we we lose this game by three or less points, you’re going to be looking back on that play because it literally goes right in the chest of Kyle Duggar who dropped an interception last week. um you know against the Bengals. Now he drops another interception this week and drop interceptions have been a big theme for the Pittsburgh Steelers. James Pierre dropped an interception today as well. It’s just this Steelers defense does such a good job at creating turnover opportunities and even though they still have a lot of turnovers on the season, they got two more today. There’s still more meat left on the bone and if you just get one of those interceptions, feels like this might have been a completely different ballgame. Uh but now shifting over to the offensive side of the ball where it felt like the offense got really stale in the second half and you know I thought Arthur Smith came out with an awesome game plan. He had some really nice screen looks early in the game. Uh but then in the second half they called a lot of the same plays and it got really vanilla and you know Arthur Smith I think needs to do a better job play calling after he gets away from his script. he needs to have these, you know, the plays that they like to go to regularly need to be better. They’re just so vanilla and so boring and, you know, teams know what the Steelers like to do and they can just take it away very easily. Um, so Arthur Smith I thought was up and down today for sure and he needs to do a better job when he’s off the script to be able and get this offense in positions to succeed because I didn’t think he did that specifically in the second half today. Um, and it certainly didn’t help anybody out there when it came to the Steelers offense. So, grade today’s performance from the Steelers. Uh, those are my first half of the takeaways. I got my second half of the takeaways coming up here in just a second. Uh, but give me a grade, A, B, C, D, or F. I thought the Steelers actually played, you know, decent given that Aaron Rogers wasn’t playing today, but it’s a loss, so I’m just going to give it a C. Uh, there’s certain elements that are positive to take away from this game, but certainly uh a lot a lot of negatives as well. But before we get into the rest of today’s show, uh, go check or go answer our pin question down there in the pin comment section. Uh, but I don’t have to tell you guys that maneuvering the men’s razor space this day these days is an absolute nightmare. That’s where our friends at Harry’s come in. Uh, the quality products are always super expensive. Uh, you know, on the open market nowadays and refills are always ridiculously expensive as well. Uh, then you when you try and save a little bit of money, get stuck with dull razors that irritate your skin and even cut your skin at times. And you can really only use those cheap products and those cheap razor heads like once before you have to throw them out and replace them. That’s exactly why I switched to Harry’s Plus, and I haven’t looked back since. Harry’s Plus has an advanced pivoting system to reach every corner of your face, refined blade tech for a closer, smoother shave, and a weighted metal handle, which is Harry’s heaviest handle ever for added control and comfort. But I think the best part about Harry’s Plus is how affordable it is. Harry’s own worldclass blade factory in Germany, which means no outsourcing, no middleman, and because they control the entire process from steel to shelf, they keep costs low and pass the savings on to you. And if you don’t love your shave, Harry’s will make it right, no questions asked. Their risk-free trial means there’s zero downside to giving them a shot. For a limited time only, our listeners can get the Harry’s Plus trial set for only $10 at harrys.com/hat. This set includes the allnew Harry’s Plus razor, one refined five blade cartridge, and a 2 oz foaming shave gel, and a travel cover to protect your blades on the go. Just head on over to harrys.com/hat to claim this offer. After your purchase, they’ll ask where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them that we sent you. Big thank you to Harry’s for sponsoring today’s edition of Steelers Talk. All right, guys. Um, you know, there’s a lot of talk about Mason this week and, you know, him playing and I I did uh advocate for him to start this week over Rogers and I still stand by that decision. You know, if Rogers isn’t good to go, I think we we’ve seen from Rogers over the last month that he just wasn’t right after he jammed that finger pregame versus the Colts. And you know, this was a game where, you know, if Mason, you know, made a couple of more throws, they would have won this game. And I I it just felt to me that if you had better quarterback play, you probably win this game, plain and simply. And, you know, Mason, I thought, did a decent job being the, you know, the general conductor of the offense. He threw the ball accurately underneath. You know, he wasn’t, you know, missing badly on throws that he had to have. But his pocket presence is abysmal, guys, and he can’t move. Von Rogers is infinitely better in the pocket, even at 41, almost 42 years old now uh than Rudolph is in the pocket. And uh we saw that today with some of the really bad moments uh in pocket management from Rudolph. Missed a couple uh downfield throws. He had Roman Wilson wide open for maybe a touchdown if he hits him in stride uh in the second to last drive of the game. And then you get to the final drive and he’s throwing two yard slant routes when the team has a minute 30 to get into field goal range and they have no timeouts. And then you know you have that fourth down and six and he stares down Metaf and then even if the pass doesn’t get deflected it probably gets intercepted for a pick six by Nan Wright. So it just wasn’t a good performance from Mason Rudolph today. Obviously he had the interception down the field. There was another one that was nearly intercepted. He had the crucial fumble uh when the Steelers were in Bears territory early in the second half and then you give the ball back to Chicago. They drive right down the field. They go up two scores. Um it it it’s just tough man. this this defense stepped up at the end and they gave Mason Rudolph and this offense multiple chances to go win it and Mason couldn’t do it. All right, so I think if Aaron Rogers is good to go and uh the reports indicate that he should be good to go next week versus the Bills, I think he got to go back to number eight. But then also I think Calvin Austin third probably needs to go back to playing wide receiver too. Uh he was your leading receiver today. Now, he only had 36 catches on four on for four catches on 36 yards by mistake, but he ran some really good routes today. Uh he he showed off his wheels a little bit in Yak. Uh you know, he runs really good routes, man. He really does. And you know, I think that this offense needs to continue to try and, you know, use his skill set as a route runner. Now, that doesn’t mean necessarily uh that Roman Wilson can’t play or anything like that. I think Roman honestly had some opportunities today that, you know, Mason did not throw the ball to him. So, you know, you’re still trying to figure this out, but Calvin, you know, has been a pretty consistent presence. He had a really bad game against the Chargers, but um, you know, he’s still a pretty darn decent receiver, and, um, especially if DK is going to miss anytime. I don’t think he will, but Calvin is one of those players where you got to get the ball to him in space. He won, he was the only guy to win on a go route today. Everybody else lost on their go route today. Uh, Calvin actually won his and drew a big defensive pass interference penalty. So, uh, I like Calvin. I think that he should be getting more playing time than he is currently. And, uh, maybe more of a split between him and Roman moving forward. But then also, I thought they needed to get the ball to Darnell Washington more today. I mean, he is an absolute X factor for you. He only had two catches and he had 22 yards on those two catches on those two targets. All right. He had he averaged a first down per catch and instead we’re putting John Smith out there again and we’re getting him a bunch of targets. You know, we’re giving him three targets today. Like, what are we doing? We’re getting him jet sweeps. Like, no. Like, get John Smith off the field. Get him out of the offensive game plan. I’ve been preaching this for weeks. Patmouth catches the touchdown today. Darnell Washington averages over a first down per catch. Play those two guys more, man. Like, what are we doing? The fact that John Smith was out there during the two-minute drill, it boggles my mind. I mean, what does he provide in a two-minute drill that you are going to think that is valuable? I just don’t get it at all at this point. That’s just poor coaching from Arthur Smith and the Steelers offensive coaching staff at this point to keep banging their head against the Jonnu Smith wall at this point. Now, my final takeaway, guys, is that in terms of the general team here, inconsistency and inconsistency on frankly both sides of the football is a major vice of this football team this year, the best teams in the league and the teams that are capable of winning Super Bowls are the ones that can put together consistent football week in and week out. And the Steelers just haven’t been able to do that. uh or the offense over the last month. The defense um you know, a little bit today, but also, you know, in in certain bunches this season as well. You you just got to find some semblance of consistency, man. If you can’t do that, even if you make the playoffs, you’re not going to have really any chance to put together multiple weeks of good football and giving yourself a chance uh to hoist a Lombardi trophy. So, um, if if those hopes are going to return for this year’s Pittsburgh Steelers team and you want to have some legitimate hope that this team can go on a run and not just maybe win one playoff game, uh, they’re going to have to find some consistency down the stretch where they’ve got four playoff caliber teams left over the last six games of the season. So, point the finger for me down there in the comments section. Who’s the most to blame for today’s loss? Is it Mason Rudolph? Is it Terrell Austin? Is it Mike Tomlin? Is it somebody else? Let me know what you guys think down there in the comments section. Um, now some final thoughts before I say goodbye. Still a lot of season left to go, guys. You still got six weeks to go. The Ravens did win today, though. So, now you’re tied with the Ravens officially uh at the top of the AFC North Division, which is very disappointing after the Ravens started 1-4. Steelers started 4- one. Um, and now that you’re tied with six games left to go is is an embarrassment for this Pittsburgh Steelers team, plain and simply. And right now with six games left to go to get to 10 wins and to really put yourself in good position to make the playoffs, you got to win four of your final two, um I think you got to for sure take advantage against Miami and Cleveland, the two games that you definitely should win. And then you got to find a way to win two games against uh Buffalo, Detroit, and then both Baltimore games. If you sweep Baltimore, I think you win the division. Um and if you win two of those four games, you get the 10 wins, you certainly put yourself in position uh to win the division. So, the Steelers still have everything left in front of them. They’ve got some real tests coming up. And if they can win against Buffalo next week, which I think they have a better chance than people are going to give them credit for, uh, if they can beat Baltimore, they have certainly been playing down to their opponents the last two weeks, even though they’ve escaped with wins. I don’t think that they’re, you know, unbeatable by any stretch of the imagination. Even Detroit, they lost to JJ McCarthy at home a couple weeks ago. You know, there’s still a lot of great opportunities in front of this Steelers team. But, plain simply, today’s game came down to three things for me. Number one, it felt like better quarterback play would have led to a victory. Number two, your defense couldn’t get stops in the red zone. Number three, your defense left some turnovers on the field and left points on the field because of it. So, I think, you know, you just once again have to look yourself in the mirror, get better. Hopefully, A-Rod can get back on the field next week. Hopefully, that’s enough uh to get the Steelers back in the win column in a big time victory versus the Bills next week. All right, guys. That’s going to be it for me today. Hey, really do appreciate all of your guys’ support. Uh we’re going to have a second postgame show coming out later with some injury updates from Mike Tomlin. Um any other news that comes out throughout the day here uh heading into Sunday Night Football, we’ll get you guys some more coverage uh later this evening. So, make sure you guys click that subscribe button if you haven’t already. Till next time, guys. Here we go. Steelers. [Music]

Pittsburgh Steelers news and instant reaction after the Steelers lost to the Chicago Bears by a final score of 31-28 in the Windy City in Mason Rudolph’s first start of the season. On today’s show, host Jack Sperry shares his 10 takeaways coming out of yet another frustrating Steelers loss as they are now tied with the Baltimore Ravens at the top of the AFC North standings with 6 games left to go in the 2025 NFL season. How much blame does Mason Rudolph and the Steelers offense deserve for today’s loss? What do the Steelers need to do to find some consistency down the stretch and win this division over the Ravens? Get the latest on today’s instant reaction video here on Steelers Talk!

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Mason Rudolph vs CHI:
– 77 CMP%
– 171 YDS
– 1 TD
– 1 INT

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– Grade the performance for the Steelers this week: A, B, C, D, or F
– Who is the most to blame for this week’s loss?

Kenneth Gainwell vs CHI:
– 10 CAR
– 92 YDS
– 0 TD

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– Steelers Rumors: Will Asante Samuel Jr. Or Marquez Valdes-Scantling Even Play For PIT This Season? – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7GUD_p2Ax4
– Steelers Week 12 Injury Report: Cam Heyward & Aaron Rodgers QUESTIONABLE vs. Bears | Steelers News – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G73jVAKbs_8
– 8 BIG CHANGES Arthur Smith Should Implement To UNLOCK The Steelers Offense Down The Stretch – https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p0Nn8GEIYyA

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