This Should Be a Fun One! - Steelers @ Bears - Pregame Thoughts
The Pittsburgh Steelers are off to Chicago for a battle to determine who the true king in the north is right now - themselves, coming off a win against the Bengals and sitting atop the AFC North, or the Bears, winners of three-straight games and leaders of the NFC North. This is one of the more exciting non-divisional games we have on the docket this season in my opinion, although I’m not sure I would’ve said that in week one.
On the injury front, we’re obviously collectively holding our breath to hear whether-or-not Aaron Rodgers will play with his broken left wrist, although I’m not sure that’s going to sway this game too far in either direction - more on that in a minute. Alex Highsmith (Pectoral) is doubtful and seems likely to remain sidelined while Darius Slay remains questionable with a concussion.
The Bears injury report is a lengthy one, but the main thing I want to highlight about it is their top three LBs who will all be out for this game - Tremaine Edmunds (Groin), T.J. Edwards (Hand/Hammy), and Noah Sewell (Elbow). There was, seemingly, a lot of hope that they were going to get CB Jaylon Johnson back from IR this week, but Jeremy Fowler just reported that he will not be activated and will also be out for this game. Not that our offense has been lighting teams on fire as of late, but it should make Bears fans pretty nervous that they’ll be so thin at LB this week. I suspect the Bears are going to be running a lot of dime defense just to have their best 11 defensive players on the field, so this could be a good opportunity for the Steelers to feast with that heavy personnel - exhibit A on why I’m less concerned with Rodgers’ injury.
The Bears offense vs. the Steelers defense is what gives me cause to pause about this matchup. I know the Steelers are coming off a dominant performance against one of the best offenses in the league, but that’s still a division foe that just punched us in the mouth a few weeks earlier. I’m glad we secured the win and I loved how it looked while it was happening, but of course the boys were going to come out JUICED for that matchup. This is a tough test against a team that we don’t get to see very often, but a fun one.
When you think about the Bears offense, obviously it all starts with Caleb Williams. When you’re watching them play, a ton of their success comes when the structure of their play(s) breaks down, and Williams extends things with his legs. He’ll certainly run for first downs, but when he escapes the pocket, he’s looking to push the ball down field. It’s pretty impressive how effectively he’s able to do that while still protecting the football. Out of his first 27 starts, he did not throw an interception in 19 of them. That’s impressive stuff for a guy who plays the way he does, and his team is benefitting from it in a very real way - they’re +16 in turnover differential, first in the league. For context, the Steelers are fifth in the league at +8. They (Da Bears) protect the hell out of the football, and they force turnovers at an elite level. The Steelers have been pretty good protecting the football this season, but they’re going to have to be stellar against this group.
Protecting the football will be everything in this game, but if the Steelers are going to win this game, it’s going to come down to rush integrity and time of possession. On defense, we gotta get Caleb Williams on the damn ground when the opportunities present themselves. We can’t have him shaking off tackles and throwing bombs like prime Big Ben, but that’s exactly what will happen if we’re not wrapping him up in the pocket. Then, as I insinuated earlier, I don’t really care who's playing QB for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and neither should the coaching staff or the fans. I’ve never seen a more prime opportunity to play the brand of football this team claims to want to play - the Bears defensive line is just okay, and they have no linebackers right now. We should be running the ball right at their face all day long. Is that what will happen? - I don’t know…this coaching staff does some perplexing things, but the opportunity is right there. This thin Bears defense already ranks 25th in the NFL allowing 133.3 rush yards per game. Protect the football. Run the ball at their damn face. Get home with the win in time for supper.
Just for me, on a personal level, I want this win a little more than the average week. Living in Illinois and being surrounded by these mongrels for as long as I have just has me praying a little harder that we don’t blow it this week. At the time of this writing, the Bears are -2.5 point favorites on most sportsbooks, so they think this will be a cagey affair. I am quite nervous, even though the path to victory feels simple to me.
Follow me on twitter/x: @jay_newm
Stats via NGS/NFL Pro
