It was another disappointment for the Pittsburgh Steelers as they fell 31-28 to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The Steelers started strong and were able to force Bears quarterback Caleb Williams into uncomfortable situations early, as T.J. Watt strip-sacked the young signal caller early in the game, but things flipped dramatically in the second half. Williams went on to toss three touchdowns on the afternoon despite struggling with his accuracy. The defense had several passes that probably should have
been intercepted, but they were not able to take advantage of them. Pittsburgh also got little help from its offense in the second half as Mason Rudolph was not able to push the ball down the field despite Chicago being down several defensive starters.
It’s time to take our weekly look at where the national media ranks the Steelers among the rest of the league.
ESPN No. 18 (No. 16 last week)
“It’s understandable if thinking about Thanksgiving memories makes Steelers fans flinch. Not only did Tomlin incur the six-figure fine for interfering with Jones’ would-be kickoff return touchdown in 2013, but the Steelers also had a memorable lowlight 15 years earlier in Detroit. Bettis said he called tails at the overtime coin toss, but referee Luckett said he heard heads. The coin landed on tails. Arguing ensued, and audio replays suggest Bettis quickly said “head-tails.” Regardless, the Lions got the ball first and kicked a field goal to win the game.” – Brooke Pryor
CBS Sports No. 19 (No. 17 last week)
“They seemed to have a big hold on the division a month ago, but now they are in second place. They face a tough one this week with the Bills.” – Pete Prisco
The Sporting News No. 18 (No. 12 last week)
“The Steelers got a game Mason Rudolph and.a dynamic overall offense minus Aaron Rodgers against the Bears. But they didn’t finish well defensively after setting the tone early and that might be the story of their season.” – Vinnie Iyer
USA Today No. 18 (No. 18 last week)
“Congratulations to T.J. Watt for becoming his family’s all-time sack leader. We’d still pick J.J. atop any Watt draft.” – Nate Davis
NFL.com No. 16 (No. 11 last week)
“It’s hard to say whether the Steelers would have won Sunday’s game in Chicago with Aaron Rodgers under center. On the one hand, Mason Rudolph was picked on his first throw, lost a critical fumble in the second half and couldn’t tie or win the game with the ball in his hands. On the other hand, Rudolph wasn’t terrible, either, leading a few quality drives, and Rodgers’ play had dipped before he suffered the left wrist injury. It felt like Rodgers was close to playing against the Bears, which could mean the 41-year-old will face the Bills this Sunday in what could be a critical game for both teams’ playoffs chances. A loss in that one would be Pittsburgh’s fifth in seven games. All three units showed room for improvement at Chicago, so the Steelers will have to tighten up the entire operation quickly, no matter who is at QB.” – Eric Edholm
Things won’t get any easier for the Steelers over the next two weeks, as they have to face the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens. The Baltimore Ravens are winners of five straight, and emerge from week 12 as the leaders in the AFC North due to their division record being better than the Steelers. The two teams have yet to play this season, which makes the impending week 14 matchup that much more important. With their backs against the wall, the Steelers will have to look better on both sides of the ball to have any chance of making the playoffs.
