The Chicago Bears have won seven of their last eight games and are aiming to keep their momentum going against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 12.
Fortunate for them, then, that future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers likely won’t play.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Rodgers sustained a “small fracture” to his left wrist in the first half of the Steelers’ 34-12 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, one that will require further testing on Monday to determine its severity.
While Pelissero and Ian Rapoport added that “the initial belief” is that Rodgers’ broken wrist is not a long-term injury, it casts doubt on his availability at the Bears in Week 12.
Rapoport added, however, that Rodgers is still “pushing” to play in Chicago on Sunday.
Expectations are that the Steelers would start veteran Mason Rudolph in Rodgers’ place if they cannot clear him to play against the Bears next Sunday. He took over for Rodgers in the second half, completing 12 of his 16 passes for 126 yards and one touchdown.
The Bears (7-3) will host the Steelers (6-4) at Soldier Field next Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
Aaron Rodgers Has Terrorized Bears Throughout Career
The Bears have not faced off against Rodgers since he last donned the green and gold of the Green Bay Packers during the 2022 season, but they’ll likely breathe a sigh of relief if he does not suit up against them next Sunday, given his career dominance over them.
Rodgers has won 24 of his 29 career games against the Bears, defeating them more than any other opponent despite more career matchups (18/31) with the Minnesota Vikings. Across those matchups, he completed 67.29% of his passes (611 of 908) for 6,965 yards, scored 66 total touchdowns and finished with an impressive 109.0 passer rating.
Given the bitter rivalry, Rodgers is also well aware of his dominance over the Bears. He showed that in 2021 when he ran in a 6-yard touchdown for the Packers and shouted to the home crowd at Soldier Field, “All my f******* life, I own you! I still own you!”
Now, much has happened since Rodgers left the Packers, both for him and the Bears. He spent two seasons with the New York Jets, missing all but four plays of the first one with a season-ending Achilles injury and winning just five games in his second season. Meanwhile, the Bears have turned over coaches (again), hiring rising star Ben Johnson.
Even still, Sunday’s matchup will carry quite a bit of hype if Rodgers is cleared to play, especially considering it could very well be the last time he ever plays against Chicago.
Can Bears Capitalize After Several Close-Call Wins?
Regardless of whether they face Rodgers or Rudolph, the Bears will have an opportunity to create more separation in the NFC North after claiming the division lead in Week 11.
The question now is: Can the Bears capitalize and start limiting the self-inflicted errors?
The Bears have continually won in dramatic fashion throughout the 2025 season, with their latest win over the Vikings marking their fifth fourth-quarter comeback this year. In most of those wins, though, the Bears had chances to put the games away earlier … and squandered them with their own poor decision-making and inconsistency.
Take Week 11’s win over the Vikings, for example. The Bears led 16-3 with possession of the ball at the start of the fourth quarter, but their offense could not keep things moving and punted back to the Vikings, who needed just two plays to add another touchdown. The Bears would get the ball back twice more with opportunities to gain yardage, drain the clock and put the game away, but they punted once more and missed a field goal.
Ultimately, the Bears eked out a 19-17 win, thanks to Devin Duvernay’s clutch 56-yard kick return and Cairo Santos’ game-winning field goal from 48 yards out. The routine turbulence remains a concerning theme, though, that could thwart the Bears’ winning momentum as soon as Week 12 if they are unable to get their issues under control.
