The Chicago Bears have given their fans loads of heart-stopping moments this season. Going into Sunday’s showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bears played ten games and won with fourth-quarter comebacks in half of them. The edge-of-your-seat excitement continued against the Steelers as another game went down to the wire and once again Chicago found a way to win, 31-28.
Critics are labeling the Bears as “lucky’ and that is not going to go away after the victory over Pittsburgh. It’s fair for skeptics to say that the Steelers didn’t have Aaron Rodgers. Knowing his history against Chicago, he likely would have made a difference in changing the outcome. Those who are griping about Rodgers’ absence aren’t mentioning the Bears’ precarious health.
Jaylen Johnson is Chicago’s best player; he is a lockdown cornerback whom the Bears understandably paid big money to bring back. Not once has he played this season, including on Sunday against the Steelers. How many teams would lose the top player and have one of the game’s best records? If skeptics want to call the Bears “fortunate,” they need to bring this up too.
Besides Johnson, Chicago’s defense missed four other starters against Pittsburgh. The entire linebacker core sat out due to injury: Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, and Noah Sewell. How many teams have endured this and not only persevered but also gotten a victory against a quality opponent? Along with the linebackers, the Bears played with half a secondary. Kyler Gordon also sat out, meaning two of Chicago’s high-impact talents offered no help.
Ben Johnson arrived in Chicago as likely the hottest coaching prospect in years and undoubtedly the most hyped the Bears have ever had. Not only is he living up to it, but he has exceeded it. He took on a franchise coming off years of losing and a trainwreck season under Matt Eberflus. Last year, Chicago found countless ways to blow games and drive a stake through their fans’ hearts, highlighted by the heartbreaking Hail Mary defeat to the Washington Commanders.
Going into this year, insiders praised the Bears for hiring Johnson, but the consensus was that Chicago would need time for substantial results to show. Playing in the brutal NFC North, the best division in the game, it was fair for many to expect the losing to continue.
What if someone had told the so-called experts that the Bears wouldn’t have their best player in any game? Add in Chicago facing showdowns against likely playoff teams with multiple, and sometimes half their defensive starters out? There is only one spot the Bears would have been forecasted for, dead last.
Johnson made a point upon becoming head coach to line up Dennis Allen as his defensive coordinator. Following an unceremonious firing by the New Orleans Saints, Allen’s reputation as an elite defensive mind stayed intact. Bringing him in to head an injury-ravaged defense has helped make it respectable and allowed the team to win nerve-wracking games.
Mason Rudolph, not Rodgers, faced Chicago’s injury-ravaged defense. Yes, it was a break for the Bears, but Pittsburgh figured to score plenty, considering who it was facing. The Steelers didn’t disappoint as they scored 21 points in the first half, gashing the linebacker replacements on the ground. Running backs Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren did whatever they wanted and set up the Pittsburgh scores.
The Steelers took a 21-14 lead with a minute and change left in the first half, and at that point, seemed certain to break 40 points. If anything, considering the Bears played with a backup unit and endurance looked to be a problem, 50 points wasn’t out of the question.
Instead, Chicago forced two punts and recovered a fumble in the third quarter. Defensive end Montez Sweat, who faced much scrutiny earlier in the season for underperformance, stepped up big time. He sacked Rudolph and forced the fumble, a critical turning point in the game.
The Bears followed the turnover with a nine-play, 54-yard drive led by excellent running by Kyle Monangai. Controlling the clock allowed Chicago to hold momentum and give the defense some much-needed rest. Monangai finished the drive with a two-yard plunge into the endzone, giving his team a 10-point lead.
It’s Chicago who knows nothing but to stress its fans out to the end, so of course, the defense next allowed a 17-play, 73-yard drive and a Pittsburgh score. The tension rose even more with the offense bogging down and a punt. Allen’s men, though, stepped up in the clutch, forcing a Steelers punt and, after a Bears three-and-out, clinching the game after Pittsburgh failed on downs.
Chicago played with a major health crisis, and after the first half went to script, it kept the Steelers to seven points. Pittsburgh has one of the best kickers in Chris Boswell, but the defense never gave him a chance to work magic on the last drive.
Sweat’s resurgence has been a major factor in the winning stretch, and he was the biggest reason for yet another comeback on Sunday. He finished with two sacks and was in Rudolph’s face throughout. Forcing turnovers has become a Bears staple under Allen, and the heightened pressure by Sweat has been critical.
Chicago is now 8-3 and in first place in the NFC North. They have won eight of their last nine games. If 10 victories is the playoff threshold, the Bears need only two more to get there. Yes, many of the wins have gone right to the wire, and a play here and a play there might have meant a different outcome.
Want to call the Bears “lucky,” go right ahead. Before doing so, though, consider not only the massive injuries, but also that the offense still has not come close to hitting its ceiling. Quarterback Caleb Williams continued to make strides by throwing three touchdowns against Pittsburgh. Accuracy, though, could have been better as he completed 19 of 35 passes.
Some of Johnson’s greatest works involved turning Jared Goff from a Los Angeles Rams castoff into one of the game’s most efficient passers. It took Goff much of his first year under Johnson before he started clicking. Williams is showing much of the same ups and downs, learning a highly complex offense under a highly demanding coach.
The Bears are winning, though, and Williams continues to lead his team to its best late. He has crafted a “clutch” reputation, and the confidence that this is building is enormous for future success. Chicago, ever since the horrific mistake of firing Lovie Smith, found ways to lose. That continued in its worst ways under Eberflus, and this is what Johnson needed to flesh out: a culture of defeat.
The Bears have played much of this season with their hands behind their backs due to injury and transition. Yet they are 8-3. There are several quality candidates for the NFL Coach of the Year, but undoubtedly, Johnson needs to be high on the list. A miracle has occurred in flipping the defeatist Chicago environment to finding ways to win despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
Williams will get better, and the passing offense is so close to taking off, especially as rookies Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III get more playing time. The Bears have much more room to grow, and with the brilliant mind of Johnson guiding them, they will get there.
Fans are excited by what has occurred, even as their hearts can’t take any more, but this is only the beginning. Johnson and Williams are the coaching/quarterback duo the franchise has longed for ages, and a momentum is rising that top players will flock to be a part of.
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