Despite
several starters out due to injury on defense in this one, the Chicago Bears gutted out a hard-fought win against the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers.
Let’s get right to my notes.
Offense:
- Caleb Williams was just a bit off on his throws. Again. This seems to be a theme of the season, and while he bounced back and had himself a nice day, it’s hard not to imagine how lethal this offense can be once his accuracy is dialed in from the opening whistle.
- The run game did the Bears no favors in this one. Yes, Kyle Monangai had himself a few nice runs, but 63 total yards by the running backs is not going to cut it most weeks. Credit to the stout Steelers DL for slowing the Bears’ run game down.
- Darnell Wright seemed out of his element with T.J. Watt in this one. From a holding penalty early to the sack fumble TD a bit later, Wright had his hands full and hopefully learned a thing or two this week against one of the all-time greats. Speaking of all-time greats, he figures to see a fair amount of Myles Garrett in two weeks, who has a chance to break the all-time single-season sack record in that one.
- Ozzy Trapilo got the start and looked the part this week. The next three weeks feature some more elite talent at Edge, but you have to be encouraged by what you saw from the rookie in this one.
- I liked what I saw from Luther Burden II today. Both as a blocker and as a pass-catcher, and even as a runner. His explosiveness is field-altering, and we should continue to see him grow as the season rolls on.
- Speaking of rookies, Colston Loveland with another great game. Clutch catches, vice-grip hands, and routing up a safety in the red zone for a TD is exactly what you would expect to see from a first-round pick at TE. His chemistry with Caleb is improving each week, and it is clear Caleb trusts him when the game is on the line.
- Perhaps my favorite play of the game was when Caleb got emphatically pushed out of bounds by Jalen Ramsey, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson got in Ramsey’s face on the sideline. Was it illegal? No, technically Caleb was still in bounds. But did he need to push the QB like that? Also, no, he was well on his way out of bounds. However, that is exactly what you would expect from the player, and I was stoked to see C.J. stick up for his QB. I thought that play gave the offense a little life.
- I really liked a few screens in this one. Caleb is getting it out extremely quick and giving his weapons time to make something happen and the team is blocking their tails off. I thought Luther was going to score on his.
- After a first half of exceptionally dependable hands, Rome Odunze had two crucial drops in the second half. One was knocked out of his hands as he stepped out of bounds, and the other was just a bad drop on a first-down catch that would have been huge in the 4th quarter. Am I worried about his hands? No. But I am very annoyed that they seem to show up in bad ways nearly every week.
- As expected, DJ Moore had himself a hell of a ball game. Taunting penalty aside, this was arguably DJ’s best game of the season. Loved seeing Caleb look his way, matched up 1-1 against Ramsey in the red zone.
- Caleb is starting to hit his stride, people. And if Ozzy can lock down the LT spot a bit this season. Watch out.
Defense:
- As feared, the Steelers’ run game dominated in this one. I, for one, was surprised they passed as much as they did. Especially early. Both Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell had great games, amassing 150+ yards and a score.
- Speaking of poor decisions to throw the ball, Nahshon Wright’s INT on the deep pass attempt to DK Metcalf was not only the best INT of the season, but arguably the most important play of the day for our team. Reminded me of the FF and FR by Turique Stevenson against the Cowboys when the early turnover set the tone, gave our offense life, and we never looked back. Massive play. And Wright ALMOST had a 2nd INT in this one.
- If Wright was not the player of the game on Defense for Chicago, it was because Sweat had that good of a game. Sweat had 2 sacks and missed his 3rd on the day when he went too easy on Mason Rudolph. Sweat earned himself a game ball from head coach Ben Johnson and has tied his career high for sacks in the first 11 games of a season with 7.5.
- Tyrique Stevenson has been playing some hard-nosed football, and his body is clearly paying the toll as he once again did not finish this contest. We need some reinforcements on the backend in a bad way. But Rique sure does make me proud to watch.
- Was anybody as annoyed by all the hype that 3rd string TE Darnell Washington was getting leading up to this game as well? Dude is a monster, no doubt, but is NOT the receiving threat so many national (and local) media personnel were claiming him to be. He had a whopping 2 catches for 2 yards, btw.
- Austin Booker continues to push the pocket and looks like a legit NFL-caliber player at times. That said, it would be nice to have a legit blue-chip NFL-caliber player opposite Sweat. But Booker is holding his own for sure and has plenty of room to grow.
- Another nice performance by vet Grady Jarrett. From chasing down running backs down the field to applying pressure on Rudolph and getting his hand up to bat a clutch pass down late in the game, he is playing winning football lately.
- Speaking of winning football, Brisker was a steady presence on the backend both in run support, after the catch, and on a couple of blitzes late, including the game-winner, where he knocked the ball down on the 4th down attempt. Huge play there with a banged-up secondary and great call by DA.
- Cannot talk about the D without mentioning the fantastic job by the reserve linebackers. D’Marco Jackson impressed with his instincts and pouncing on ball carriers in the run and after the pass. Amen Ogbongbemiga was all over the field, and I noticed both Ruben Hyppolite II and Daniel Hardy in this one. Did they let up a few plays? Sure. But they were not as much of a liability as many thought and helped secure the W.
Special Teams:
- Decent day the the office for the kick return team. Nothing great, nothing bad. I have been critical of Josh Blackwell, but he had himself another solid day at the office.
- Cairo is just Mr. Dependable. Did you hear he nailed a 60-yarder in pre-game?
- Tory Taylor had a disappointing game from my vantage point. A couple of times, we needed to flip the field position and pin them back, and he failed to get it close or pin them deep. Have to wonder if all the injuries to the roster are making it hard to field a solid special teams unit, but I was pleased with the kickoff coverage today and thought they laid the wood throughout.
