After grabbing a must-needed win over the Cincinnati Bengals last week, things don’t get any easier for the Pittsburgh Steelers as they prepare to face the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The Bears, winners of seven of their last eight, will be a difficult opponent in many respects.
They haven’t been perfect, but they’ve been consistent when it matters late in games. As for the Steelers, that aspect of their game has been very inconsistent itself. Analyst Marc Sessler believes these two teams are trending in different directions and that the Bears are on the brighter side of that spectrum.
“Some general irritation with the Steelers experience. And I think it’s two teams where, if you are a long-suffering Bears fan or a lifelong Steelers fan, you’re looking at your own team, and it’s very different things to be excited about. You hope that Pittsburgh’s defense can again probably save the day. And there’s not a ton of evidence that’s definitely the case. But if you’re a Bears fan, you’re watching this Ben Johnson offense grow weekly,” Sessler said Thursday on the Heed The Call podcast. “I just see a team going in a different direction than the Steelers. I think they handle this challenge without too much difficulty.”
The Bears are indeed in a new era with second-year quarterback Caleb Williams and first-year head coach Ben Johnson. But after a 0-2 start, they’ve figured things out together, especially in crunch-time situations. Five of the Bears’ seven wins this year have come by one possession, and each of their last three wins has been by five points or less.
However, playing in that many close games shows the Bears are a beatable team. They’ve had to squeak out wins against Cincinnati, the New York Giants and Minnesota the last three weeks. It’s hard to win in the NFL, but none of those teams are at or above .500.
Yet, they find a way to get it done. And that could be an issue for the Steelers, who have been inconsistent in the second half of games. Some weeks, the defense has stepped up; others, the entire team falls apart, like it did against Green Bay and Los Angeles.
Each team has its own advantages when it comes to health. Aaron Rodgers will likely play, but we don’t know for sure. Jaylen Warren was also banged up last week with an ankle injury. And Cam Heyward popped up on the injury report Friday. But the Bears are dealing with plenty of injuries themselves, with their linebacker room specifically depleted.
If the Steelers can play their brand of football, it’s a game they can absolutely win. Each of these two teams thrives off turnovers. If the Steelers can win that battle and contain the run to some extent, they should return home with a 7-4 record.