The Pittsburgh Steelers visited Soldier Field and dropped a 31-28 decision to the Chicago Bears.
- You want to know what hurts the worst about this one?
Unlike some of this season’s other losses, the Bears was as close as the final score suggests. And that’s particularly poignant for Pittsburgh, because this game showcased both some excellent individual exploits and brilliant strategy moves.
But the Steelers came up short in Chicago because when it counted, Pittsburgh couldn’t put it all together.
Nashon Wright intercepts Mason Rudolph’s first pass. Photo Credit: Mike Dinovo, Imagn Images via SI.com
Every Element Matters
You can summarize the Steelers philosophy in the post-Roethlisberger era with just 14 words: Match stout defense with an offense that throws to score and runs to win. It is simple. There’s zero Sean McVey or Kyle Shanahan sexiness behind it.
- But it can be effective. IF executed correctly.
To execute correctly, every element matters. Let one fail and the rest fall like dominoes.
The opening two series illustrate that reality perfectly. The Bears came out and ran and Jalen Ramsey and Joey Porter limited them to a yard. They tried again and Derrick Harmon and Keeanu Benton limited them to 3 yards. On third down Kyle Dugger helped prevent a completion, forcing a Bears punt.
- So far so good.
The Steelers began with Mason Rudolph handing to Kenneth Gainwell, and Gainwell got 9 yards. Perfect. Just what the doctor ordered. One of the core principles of Arthur Smith’s offense is that build the foundation for big plays in the air by winning in the trenches on the ground.
- So the instinct to look deep downfield on the very next play was a wise one.
But Mason Rudolph failed to deliver.
He badly underthrew D.K. Metcalf allowing Nahshon Wright to intercept. Eight plays and four minutes later, the Bears were on the board with a touchdown.
They didn’t hold their lead for long, however. The Steelers answered with a touchdown drive of their own. The drive itself was a masterpiece in ball control offense, made up of 13 plays and stretching 95 yards. That felt like it fit perfectly at the moment.
But, as we shall see, when all was said and done, this was actually part of the problem.
The Turnover Giveth, the Turnover Taketh Away
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense has feasted on turnovers in 2025. Just ask Derek Maye and the New England Patriots. In the loss to the Bears, the back stories behind the turnovers, or lack thereof, tell the tale of this latest loss.
- The Steelers first turnover effectively negated an outstanding opening effort by the defense.
The Steelers used the game’s next turnover to establish a one touchdown lead when Caleb Williams foolishly allowed T.J. Watt to pressure him into the end zone and then strip sack him allowing Nick Herbig to cover the ball for a touchdown.
- Yet the next two turnovers followed by the next non-turnover proved to be critical.
Yahya Black ended Chicago’s next possession after just 5 plays. Yet the Steelers could only manage 5 plays of their own, as Connor Heyward failed for the first time on Pittsburgh’s version of the tush push. (Yeah, the replays look like he may have gotten it, but that happens.)
- The Bears transformed that turnover on downs into a touchdown.
The Steelers offense responded, perhaps a little too well. Facing a 4th and 1 at their own 44 with 1:32 remaining, Arthur Smith threw the Bears for a curve with the tush push, as Connor Heyward flipped the ball to Kenneth Gainwell, Darnell Washington delivered a hellacious block on the outside, and Gainwell ran for 55 yards.
- One play later and Jaylen Warren was in the end zone to put the Steelers up by 7.
By any measure it was a brilliant piece of coaching strategy that the players executed to perfection.
Alas, it left 1:19 on the clock. The Steelers special teams gave up a longish return. Long enough to allow Williams and the Bears offense to nickle-and-dime their way into field goal range to tack-on three more points to end the half.
We saw the Steelers use the final minute of the first half to tack on field goals, many times during the Roethlisberger era. The final score in Chicago reminds us why that’s always a wise move.
Too Much of a Good Thing
IF I’d told you going into the game that…
- D.K. Metcalf would have 5 catches
- Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren would average 9.2 and 3.8 yards per carry
- Ben Skowronek would set up a TD by flipping the field with a 21-yard catch
- That Mason Rudolph would lead touchdown drives clocking in at 7:58 and 7:47 minutes|
- The Steelers would win the TOP battle to the tune of 33:09 to 26:51
…You’d have concluded that the Steelers beat the Bears in Chicago. But of course the opposite happened.
Ben Skowronek makes a catch for 21 yards. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com
The fact that Ben Skowronek’s 21 yard catch was the longest by a Steelers receiver is the first yellow flag (Wanna call it a red flag? No argument — I tagged Skowronek as an off season sleeper and I’m sticking to my story.) But blood red flag comes from the fact that Skowronek’s yardage total of 21 for one catch amounts to one yard less than Metcalf’s combined yardage total for 5 catches.
All season long the Steelers have struggled to establish the type of ball-control attack needed for both offense and the defense to succeed. A week ago, against the Bengals, they make a step in that direction. Against the Bears, the made a leap.
- But the leap came at the cost of a complete inability to pass downfield.
Rudolph’s first attempt got picked off. He tried again on the first 3rd down situation of the 2nd half, and had Roman Wilson been a DB, we’d be tripping ourselves over his pass break up skills. On two other occasions, Rudolph looked deep and misfired.
Roman Wilson shows off his DB skills. Photo Credit: Mike Dinovo, Imagn Images, via SI.com
To be sure the defense’s inability to prevent scores after Rudolph’s interception and his fumble combined with special teams penalties contributed to the loss. But the Bears had the ball twice in the last 6 minutes in the fourth quarter, and the defense forced twin three and outs.
But on those two ensuring possessions the Steelers failed to complete a pass of longer than 14 yards, and Rudolph’s final two completions went for two yards a piece when they only needed 15 or so to get into Chris Boswell’s range.
Every element counts, and the Steelers inability to consistently complete even intermediate passes proved to be their downfall in this game.
Historic Tendencies and This Year’s Story
Given the unending pace of change in the NFL, overarching franchise statistics often make for interesting story copy that actually means very little.
- But with a historic franchise like the Pittsburgh Steelers, sometimes true trends emerge.
The Steelers haven’t won in Philadelphia since Lyndon Johnson was president. The Colts struggle when playing in Pittsburgh, whether they arrive from Baltimore or Indianapolis. The Steelers only win against the Bears came in 1995. That win helped steel their run that ended in Super Bowl XXX.
Mike Tomlin’s challenge is to ensure that this latest loss to the Bears in Chicago doesn’t upend the rest of their 2025 season.
