Steelers Struggles Continue in Loss to Bears

A pass to tight end Jonnu Smith put the Steelers on the 10-yard line, then Warren moved it closer with a run for a first down. Rudolph gave it to Metcalf from the six-yard line, finding him just short of the line of scrimmage. Metcalf ran it in for a touchdown, and a Boswell extra point made it 7-7.

The Bears took the ball back, with tough field position, and a holding call pushed them up against the endzone. Then, edge rusher T.J. Watt found Williams floundering in the end zone and forced a fumble. Linebacker Nick Herbig picked the ball up, giving the Steelers a defensive touchdown.

Williams started the ensuing drive off with a 17-yard pass to Loveland, then their next set of downs saw the Bears fumble the ball once again. Swift ran with the ball on 3rd and 2, and fumbled the ball after a force by rookie defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, which he also recovered.

Offense All Over

The offense took the field, and Rudolph found tight end Darnell Washington for a medium gain, but disaster struck when Metcalf limped off the field later in the drive. Then, an attempted rush by the Steelers on 4th and one was no good, so the Bears took over.

The Bears moved the ball down the field with ease, with big plays from Burden and wideout Rome Odunze put the Bears near the red zone. Williams then found Loveland for a 12-yard touchdown, and the Bears tied the game up with four minutes to go in the half.

The Steelers got the ball back approaching the half, and had the ball at their own 35 when the two-minute warning hit. A ten-yard catch by wide receiver Calvin Austin III put the Steelers just short of the line to gain, and the Steelers had a tough decision to make with 1:31 to play on their own 44. Rudolph gave the ball to Gainwell, who then took it to the endzone on 4th and 1 with a 56-yard touchdown run. Then, an official review ruled him a yard short of the end zone. A Warren run from one yard out was good, and the Steelers took a 21-14 lead after a Boswell PAT.

Joey Porter Jr., making his return from injury, picked Williams off. It was then called back for an offsides on Herbig, so the Bears continued with the ball. Williams found Burden on 3rd down, and the Bears found themselves on the Steelers side of the field with 42 seconds to play. Williams found Burden for 19 yards, putting the Bears at the Steelers 29 with 7 seconds to play.

Williams spiked the ball, then could not find Odunze on the next play. They then would trot out Cairo Santos, who made a field goal as time expired to make it 21-17.

The Steelers began with the ball in the second half, and Warren and Rudolph would move the ball on the ground for a first down to keep the drive going. Edge rusher Montez Sweat would take Rudolph down on first down for a sack of four yards. A deep pass on 3rd down to wideout Roman Wilson was no good, and the Steelers punted for the first time.

A Multi-Faceted Collapse

Williams found Odunze on back to back passes to open the Bears drive, gaining 31 yards on two passes. Williams gave the ball to Moore in the backfield on first down, and the bears gained five to bring it to the Steelers 25-yard line. His efforts, however, were called back after he was flagged for taunting, making it 2nd and 20 from the Steelers 39. Williams found Swift for 14 yards, making for a manageable third down, then Moore redeemed himself as Williams hit him in the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown.

The Bears took a 24-21 lead with 8:30 to play in the third quarter, and the Steelers offense took the field once again. That stint would be short lived, as after three handoffs to Gainwell, Waitman came out to punt again.

The Steelers would get a momentous stop, pushing the Bears to a tough decision on fourth and 1, and the Bears decided to punt the ball back to the Steelers offense. The Steelers would then turn the ball over again, with Mason Rudolph fumbling the ball to Sweat. The Bears would take over with the ball on their 46.

After a couple short offensive plays, the Bears found themselves in the redzone. Williams gave the ball to running back Kyle Monangai, who made it a 10 point lead with a two-yard touchdown rush with 14 minutes to play.

The Steelers would move the ball slowly, before being faced with a tough third down. Rudolph found Austin for 19 on the third down, keeping the drive alive. Three plays later, Rudolph would rush for two yards on third down to keep it going, this time with under 10 minutes to play.

It seemed as if the drive was going to die out for the Steelers, but a defensive pass interference on Wright gave the Steelers a first down in the redzone. Rudolph rushed again for 2 yards on third and one, giving his team a new set of downs from the four yard line. Gainwell found his way into the endzone, but Metcalf was called for holding and the Steelers would have to reset from the 12.

Easing Closer

After two plays, the Steelers found themselves at third and short. Then, Rudolph found tight end Pat Freiermuth for a touchdown pass with 6:31 on the clock, making it a one score game at 31-28 following the Boswell PAT.

The Bears took over, and Williams missed Odunze to begin the drive. A handoff to swift got a paltry gain, then 3rd and 8 brought a delay of game on the Bears. Williams hit Loveland on the next play, but Loveland got 11 of the 13 required and Taylor punted the ball back.

Rudolph found Washington to open the drive for a 9-yard gain, followed by Warren reaching the line to gain on third and short. On the ensuing set of downs, on third down, Rudolph gained 22 yards. It was, however, called back for an illegal formation call. On the next play, now third and nine, Rudolph missed Metcalf for 12 yards, bringing up fourth down.

Waitman came out to punt with 2:01 to play.

Two rushes to Monangai made it third and seven, but an incomplete pass to Odunze made the Bears punt the ball back. James Pierre was injured on the play. This caused the Steelers to lose their final timeout, so they got the ball back with no timeouts at their own 20.

Rudokph found Freiermuth on first down for 14, then Gainwell for 7 on the next play. Metcalf made himself open, and caught an 8-yard pass by Rudolph to keep the ball moving. Austin was targeted by Rudolph for a gain of two before being targeted again for an incompletion. A short pass to Metcalf on 3rd and 8 made it 4th and medium, but an incomplete pass on fourth down with 20 seconds left would end the game.

Williams kneeled, and the Bears beat the Steelers 31-28.