In perhaps the most damning statement of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense, the Chicago Bears didn’t show any anxiety over the Steelers’ quarterback decision that wasn’t known until two hours before kickoff. Chicago didn’t have to change or even swap out game plans once Mason Rudolph was the confirmed starter.
“It probably changed for them. It didn’t necessarily change for us,” Bears DE Montez Sweat told reporters after the Steelers’ 31-28 loss via the team’s YouTube channel. [DC Dennis Allen] had the same game plan, whether it’s him up or Aaron Rodgers. Whoever they throw out there, we take advantage of it and do what we gotta do.”
Sweat sure didn’t seem to mind the swap. He finished the game with two sacks and nearly notched a third before Rudolph stepped out of it and threw the pass out of bounds. It would’ve been Sweat’s first three-game sack performance of his career.
Traded to Chicago during the 2023 season and given a big contract extension, expectations have been high for Sweat but not always met by the former first-round pick. He entered the game as the Bears’ leading sacker but had just 5.5 of them for a pass rush criticized throughout the season. While the Bears’ pressure wasn’t constant, it was key. Sweat had a crucial strip-sack that resulted in a lost fumble with Pittsburgh on the edge of field goal range and trailing by three, 24-21.
That play kept Pittsburgh off the board and gave Chicago great field position. The Bears took advantage, moving nine plays for a touchdown to grab a two-score lead.
Last week, Allen said adjustments would be made if Rodgers or Rudolph got the start. Allen noted Rodgers’ preference to get the ball out quick and underneath compared to a more-daring Rudolph to make downfield throws. But Pittsburgh could not complete the vertical chances Rudolph took, doing more harm than good with an interception and multiple incompletions, while the rest of the passing game stayed in its 10-yard box. Short throws to the backs and tight ends.
Rudolph finished the day with just 171 yards on 31 attempts. He threw for one touchdown, one pick, and was sacked twice while a throw in the flat to DK Metcalf was deemed a lateral and scored as a rush, not a pass.
Schematically, Chicago was steps ahead. Offensively, QB Caleb Williams found the middle of the defense open time after time. He finished with three touchdown passes. Defensively, the Bears bottled up the Steelers enough to win.
These two teams don’t meet often making this win even sweeter for Chicago. Based on how the game went, the Bears probably wouldn’t mind playing the Steelers more often.
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