When the Game Tightened, the Bears’ ‘Bench Mob’ Stepped Up With the Clutch Moments No One Saw Coming. DH

Whether it was D’Marco Jackson and Amen Ogbongbemiga on defense or Ozzy Trapilo on offense, the Bears found ways to make the plays necessary in a 31-28 win.

The Bears keep saying their eight wins in nine games are being accomplished by the full roster.

They carried this to the extreme on Sunday, as even the subs are getting involved. Pretty soon they’ll start calling it the “bench mob,” after Ozzy Trapilo, D’Marco Jackson, Nick McCloud and Amen Ogbongbemiga all put their stamps on the 31-28 win.

The defense had its own role in this one, with tipped passes and takeaways at the most opportune times.

Montez Sweat’s two sacks and especially his strip sack and recovery of

Mason Rudolph’s fumble in the third quarter not only stopped a possible Steelers go-ahead drive, it set up the Bears at their own 46 to march for what proved to be the decisive points on a 2-yard Kyle Mongangai TD run. 

About the only problem Sweat had with the strip sack was who had made it on.

“I would have loved to play Aaron Rodgers,” Sweat said. “He’s a great quarterback. I sacked him a couple years ago (with Washington). I would have loved to get him again.

“It’s just, whoever is out there we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do.”

The news just before the game that the injured Rodgers wouldn’t play didn’t seem to affect anything with the Bears’ plan, but with all of their defensive injuries they were limited in what they could do, anyway.

“It probably changed for them,” Sweat said. “It didn’t necessarily change for us. (Dennis Allen) had the same game plan whether it’s him up or Aaron Rodgers.

“So like I said, whoever they throw out there we’ve got to take advantage of it.”

Nahshon Wright’s interception on the first series of the game triggered the first Bears TD march, as he outleaped DK Metcalf, using every inch of his own rare 6-foot-4 cornerback frame. Again, a substitute making a big play to tie for the NFL lead in interceptions with five.

McCloud came off the bench when Tyrique Stevenson suffered a hip injury and made seven tackles. They began the game with five regular starters and after that injury it was four.

“You know, McCloud takes Tyrique’s spot on outside and he’s out there competing just like he has all year long,” Ben Johnson said. “On the offensive side we got, you know, Theo is down and Ozzy steps up at left tackle and then Jonah goes down for a little bit and then Luke Newman gets thrown in there at guard.

“So that was the type of game it was and I just  think that’s the type of guys that we have, the caliber of people that we have. They just keep finding a way, keep plugging away.”

No one summed up this attitude more then the linebackers.

Without Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards and Noah Sewell, they turned to D’Marco Jackson and Ruben Hyppolite II. Then Hyppolite went out with a shoulder injury, leading to special teamer Ogbongbemiga playing linebacker.

Jackson finished with 15 tackles and Ogbongbemiga with 14. When told afterward, Jackson had to laugh.

“I really wasn’t even keeping count, except right now my body is hurting a little  bit,” he said.

The Steelers came in determined to test the Bears’ linebackers with a myriad screens and it often worked but on the big downs they failed.

Sweat couldn’t leave the decisive defensive plays unnoticed. First Grady Jarrett knocked down a third-down pass

First Grady Jarrett knocked down a third-down pass at the Steelers 23 to force a punt with 2:01 left and then Jaquan Brisker tipped one harmlessly to the ground on fourth-and-6 from the Bears’ 47 with 21 seconds left and the Steelers at the Bears 47.

“Everybody is stepping up in all phases,” Sweat said. “Grady made a great play the series before (Brisker’s) getting his hand up. That’s pretty ideal seeing he’s only 5 feet (tall).”

Possibly their tallest player had the biggest unsung offensive contribution, as 6-8 Trapilo shifted to the left side and Pittsburgh still managed only one sack. The Bears didn’t like Trapilo on the left side earlier in the year but they’ve gotten the rookie more used to playing by putting him in as an extra blocker in certain run or pass situations. He had to play on both sides of the line to do that.

“Yeah, I think it definitely helped, especially moving around,  motioning, things like that,” Trapilo said. “I think it helps a lot to be in a right-handed and left-handed stance.

“Sometimes it’s pass sometimes it’s run. So I think it helps me acclimate a lot.”

It’s never going to be entirely comfortable for subs, but they all seemed very comfortable after the game and the locker room celebration. Some could fade into special teams roles with starters possibly returning on Friday in Philly.

They gave a game ball to Jackson, who was a Saints practice squad player and didn’t come to Chicago until just before the season.

“It was moreso for me, like getting that game ball, and realizing to myself that it wasn’t just me,” Jackson said.

There were a lot of players in his shoes on Sunday.