Third Quarter Dooms The Steelers As They Fall To The Bears
- Kelly Anozie
- 2 minutes ago
- 3 min read
The Pittsburgh Steelers last defeated the Chicago Bears at home in 1995. On this day, however, they were unable to snap the streak, falling to Chicago by a final score of 31-28. The loss dropped Pittsburgh to 6-5, leaving them tied with the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North.
Game Recap
With Rudolph announced as the starter just over an hour before kickoff, one of his key priorities was avoiding turnovers. Unfortunately, on the Steelers’ first offensive series, he threw an errant pass intended for receiver D.K. Metcalf that was intercepted. The Bears wasted no time, marching 56 yards on eight plays to reach the end zone and take an early 7-0 lead.
The Steelers answered immediately with a physical 13-play, 95-yard drive, capped off by a touchdown reception from Metcalf to even the score at 7-7.
On the following series, the Steelers’ defense delivered in a big way. Linebacker T.J. Watt forced a sack-fumble that was recovered in the end zone by Nick Herbig. With the extra point, Pittsburgh jumped ahead 14-7 early in the second quarter.
The defense continued to apply pressure. Rookie Derrick Harmon forced a fumble on running back D’Andre Swift, which was secured by fellow rookie Yahya Black. After review, the referees confirmed the turnover, giving the Steelers the ball back. However, they failed to capitalize and came away empty-handed.
The Bears responded with authority, engineering an 11-play, 70-yard drive. Quarterback Caleb Williams connected with rookie tight end Colston Loveland for a touchdown, tying the game at 14 apiece.
Late in the half, Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell would break free on a fake tush push for a 55-yard run that set the offense up at the Bears’ goal line. Jaylen Warren finished the job, punching it in for the touchdown to give Pittsburgh a 21-14 lead late in the quarter. The Bears would get a field goal late in the quarter to make it 21-17 at halftime.
After the Steelers came up empty on their first offensive drive of the third quarter, the Bears answered with authority. They marched 60 yards down the field, capping the drive with a touchdown pass to receiver D.J. Moore. The score gave Chicago a 21-18 lead, putting them back in front by three.
Later, Bears defensive lineman Montez Sweat would force a sack-fumble on Rudolph to restore their possession. The Bears would convert that to a touchdown, courtesy of rookie running back Kyle Monangai to give them a 31-21 lead early in the fourth quarter.
On the ensuing possession, the Steelers would grind a 17-play, 73-yard drive, capped off by a touchdown reception from tight end Pat Freiermuth, to cut the Bears lead to three late in the contest.
After a defensive stop would give them the ball back late in the contest, the Steelers would fail to convert it into points, as penalties would plague their offensive drive in them punting the ball with less than a minute in the contest.
The would eventually stop the Bears offensive drive but by that point, it was too little, too late.
The story of this game was defined by missed opportunities on both sides of the ball. Despite the Steelers’ defense forcing two fumbles and scoring a defensive touchdown, dropped interceptions by Kyle Dugger and Joey Porter Jr. proved costly, particularly in the pivotal third quarter.
On offense, quarterback Mason Rudolph endured two sacks, one of which led to a Bears turnover. He finished the game with 171 passing yards on 24 completions, averaging just 5.5 yards per attempt.
Meanwhile, the running back tandem of Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren provided balance on the ground, combining for 160 rushing yards and a touchdown.
The Steelers face the Buffalo Bills at home next Sunday.