Bears’ Performance Review After the Steelers Win Spotlights a Team That No Longer Looks Like Its Old Self. DH

Montez Sweat as 6 1/2 sacks in his last six games after two more with a forced fumble and recovery in Sunday’s 31-28 win over Pittsburgh.

During various points of this season, it’s been apparent how key necessary parts of a winning team have kicked in for the Bears in coach Ben Johnson’s first season.

The offensive line needed a few weeks, the running attack then rose to prominence. The secondary has been picking off passes en masse since Week 3.

Over the course of the past several weeks it’s become apparent one other very necessary component has kicked in and that’s the edge rush from Montez Sweat.

Sweat’s two sacks and very nearly three, and his forced fumble that set up the final Bears touchdown in Sunday’s 31-28 win over Pittsburgh are the type of big plays teams look for at crunch time from their highest paid player.

“I think I am just taking advantage of my opportunities,” Sweat said. “Early in the season I felt like I was playing good ball, but the stats are starting to come through for me.

“It’s a blessing. We still have a lot left on the table to get cleaned up.”

Sweat has 6 1/2 sacks in his last six games, to go with two forced fumbles. It would appear the “Sweat effect” is back.

Sweat very nearly had a third sack of Mason Rudolph and probably should have, but the Steelers QB slipped away.

“Yeah, I’ve got to finish that,” Sweat said. “That’s the difference between being good and great. It would have been my first hat trick. Maybe we can try again next game.”

It’s something to look forward to as they go forward against a tougher schedule. The two sacks brought Sweat’s total to 25 since the start of the 2023 season, trailing only Micah Parsons (36), Brian Burns (29 1/2) and Aidan Hutchinson (27 1/2).

“He’s been heating up since the bye week, Tez has,” coach Ben Johnson said. “You just feel it each week. He seems to impact the game a little more each week. He had two sacks, and had a chance for a third out there, from my count. It’s good to see that come on, just like that.”

Here’s the rest of the good for the Bears from the good from Sunday’s Bears win, along with the bad and ugly.

The Good

New Age Bears

A sixth one-score victory in seven games decided by one score continued to show the Bears are a team capable of going toe to toe with anyone and pulling out a win. It’s starting to look like Minnesota last year in its 14-3 season when it won nine times by a score or less.

“Like I said, the history here has not necessarily been that,” Sweat reminded. “Ben (Johnson) preaches us fighting in those close games.

“It’s not the same old Bears.”

New Heights

Often, it was 6-foot-4 DK Metcalf matched up on the left side of the Pittsburgh offense against 6-4 Nahshon Wright. The jump ball didn’t work immediately, as Wright picked off the first pass thrown by Rudolph on a 50-50 ball 26 yards downfield.

Johnson called the pick the kind of electrifying play early to send a charge through the team.

“Yeah, it’s something we love to do,” Johnson said. “We’ve had so many takeaways this year, our defense, it’s just part of their calling card. We’ve done a solid job of capitalizing on that. I think we’re second in the league on points off turnovers.

“So, we really needed that there today. You certainly felt it with Shonny’s interception there on the sideline. The whole sideline kind of ignited, gave us a spark, and offense was able to capitalize on that and score our first touchdown of the game. It’s good to see that complementary football, and we’re going to need more of that going forward.”

They held Metcalf to five catches for 22 yards and sent him away with a lower leg injury.

In case you haven’t looked at a Steelers roster, there’s not much else there at wide receiver besides Metcalf.

Tush Pushed I

The Steelers failed on the tush push. Andrew Billings and Co. jammed it up. You don’t see it stuffed often, but the Bears did it on fourth-and-1 at the Bears’ 30 in the second quarter when Mike Tomlin decided he didn’t want a field goal. That play loomed large later.

The Steelers ran theirs with fullback Connor Heyward under center. Why the risk?

“Because if you can’t make it on fourth down and 1, oftentimes you don’t deserve to win,” Tomlin said.

He was right.

DJ Deuce

In one game, DJ Moore had double his touchdown output for the season. His third multiple-TD game with the Bears was his first since Week 5 last year against Carolina.

The Bad

Tush Pushed II

The Bears played the tush push so well the first time, Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith had a counter and they caught the Bears defense completely asleep. Instead of sneaking, he gave it to running back Kenneth Gainwell and he ran 55 yards around right end to set up a Steelers touchdown.

It’s difficult to cover everything and stop the tush push. The best way to stop it is with a rule making it illegal, but that’s an idea for another day.

It’s hard to believe but the Packers have that right.

The Injury Report

T.J. Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, Noah Sewell all injured, and now linebacker Ruben Hyppolite. Hall of Famer Mike Singletary and family were at the game Sunday on the sidelines. Maybe they should have suited him up.

Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson’s hip injury came just as they were hoping to get back their full secondary Friday for the Eagles game.

“It happens to most teams each season, too, where your depth gets tested,” Johnson said. “It just so happens it was this week for us.”

Tested would be a great understatement when you’re without seven planned opening day starters. Considering all the injuries the Lions had last year on defense, perhaps it’s contagious and followed Johnson along to Chicago.

The Ugly

The Danger Zone

If the red zone starts at the 20-yard line, at least for the Bears their own 20 is the danger zone.

It is for Caleb Williams anyway. It proved this way again Sunday as Williams held the ball forever near his own end zone, balked at running it, went back toward the pocket and then tried to go back and throw from the end zone before he got sacked by T.J. Watt. As he was spinning and panicking, Williams then made it a bigger mess and had his arm out with the ball in his hand and Watt knocked it free. Teammate Nick Herbig recovered for a touchdown and 14-7 Steelers lead.

“What I’m supposed to do is just throw the ball away. In that situation, just throw the ball away, live to fight for another down,” he said. “Yeah, that’s it.”

No one should be surprised by Williams’ problems inside his own 5-yard line.  

Anywhere deep in his own territory is a problem. He has a passer rating of 90.8 in the red zone, 92.2 in opposing territory outside the red zone, 86.6 from his own 20 to midfield.

And inside his own 20, the danger zone? It’s a 64.9 passer rating.

The Terrible Towels

Bears fans better start holding onto their tickets or making sure they get them to Bears fans. Soldier Field was flooded with Pittsburgh fans and their terrible towels. Before the game, it looked like they were back at Acrisure Stadium.

There were more Steeler fans reacting and cheering than for any other team at Soldier Field, Packers included.

Selling those tickets on Stub Hub must be quite lucrative. Maybe George McCaskey should take a closer look at the season ticket list.