A nuke went off in the Bears' linebacker room this week. It took out all three starting 'backers, and a few of the backups also suffered from residual radiation poisoning. D'Marco Jackson and fourth-round selection Ruben Hyppolite II, who came into the game with a combined 50 defensive snaps on the season, started the contest. However, the latter also got hurt in the first half.
Special teams ace Amen Ogbongbemiga entered the game in relief of Hyppolite and looked more than comfortable playing his first defensive snaps of the season. And then, like clockwork, HE GOT HURT TOO. Carl Jones Jr., who was signed to the active roster from the practice squad yesterday, took his place in the starting lineup.
“They’re gonna have to call Brian Urlacher or Big Cat to come play linebacker”
-JJ Watt on the broadcast pic.twitter.com/R7ezQAzs58
— Barstool Chicago (@barstoolchicago) November 23, 2025
When all was said and done, Jackson, who also wore the green dot for Chicago today, led the team with 15 tackles. Ogbongbemiga was hot on his heels with 14. They weren't coverage tackles where they brought their assignment down after allowing a catch in the middle of the field, either. They were consistently closing the running lanes against Pittsburgh's starting offensive line. Their performance was somewhat incredible considering how few defensive snaps they have under their belt this year.
The Bears struggled in run support in the first half, bleeding yards to the Steelers to the tune of 125 yards on the ground. However, they performed much better in that regard in the second half, only allowing 61 yards the rest of the way.
Many also feared that the Steelers' tight end trio could take over the game with all the injuries to Chicago's linebacking unit. As it turns out, that fear was unwarranted. Darnell Washington finished the game with two catches for 22 yards, Jonnu Smith had three catches for 21 yards, and Pat Freiermuth had ended the game with three grabs for 19 yards. The 'backers weren't nearly as big of a reliability in coverage as expected.
Their success through the attrition is a testament to defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's ability to roll with the punches. The defense has been bitten by the injury bug big time through the first half of the season, but have held up remarkably well considering the circumstances.
These players all played meaningful snaps vs the Steelers
Nick McCloud
D’Marco Jackson
Nahshon Wright
Amen Ogbongbemiga
Ruben Hypolite
Carl Jones
No one knew their names before the season. Dennis Allen is incredible
— Steve Letizia (Formerly CFCBears) (@CFCBears) November 23, 2025
It turns out the Bears didn't have to call up Brian Urlacher or Big Cat, after all. All they needed was D'Marco Jackson and Amen Ogbongbemiga.
It remains unclear if the TJ Edwards and/or Noah Sewell will be ready to go with a short week against Philadelphia on the horizon. However, it's safe to say they feel a lot better about their depth at the position right now than they did coming into the game.