The Bears pulled off another wild one at Soldier Field, taking down the Steelers 31-28 and moving to 8-3 in a season nobody had on their bingo card. Every week this team drops something new that makes you shake your head and laugh because there is no way this is real life. Here are five facts from Sunday that show how insane this run has been.
1. An 8-3 Team With a Negative Point Differential
The Bears are only the third team in the Super Bowl era to start 8-3 with a negative point differential. They sit at minus-3 through 11 games despite sitting on top of the NFC North. The only teams to ever pull this off were the 1987 Chargers and the 2020 Browns. One collapsed and the other made a playoff run. The Bears keep pulling out tight games even when the box score says they should not. This group stays calm late and wins the moments.
2. Kyle Monangai Joined Walter Payton in the Record Book
Kyle Monangai scored again at home. That gave him three straight home games with a rushing touchdown. No Bears rookie has done that since Walter Payton in 1975. Monangai came in as a seventh round pick and has worked his way into the offense with tough yards and timely runs. His 176 yard game earlier this year was the second highest rushing day for a Bears rookie in franchise history. Anytime you are in the same sentence as Sweetness, you are doing something right.
3. The Steelers Curse in Chicago is Almost a Century Long
The Steelers are now 1-13 all time in Chicago. That run spans 89 years. Their only win in the city came in 1995. Before that you have to go back to 1958 when they beat the Chicago Cardinals. Even with a chance to steal one this year, they left with the same result they always leave Chicago with. Another loss.
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4. The Bears Lead the League in Takeaways While Missing Key Starters
The Bears have forced 24 takeaways through 11 games. That leads the NFL. No team has produced this many turnovers by this point in a season since the 2019 Patriots. What makes it wild is the injuries at corner. Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon have missed large chunks of the year. Kevin Byard leads the league with five interceptions. Tremaine Edmunds has four. Nahshon Wright has five and added another one on the Steelers’ first pass of the game. The team is 7-1 when recording a takeaway and has outscored opponents by 39 points in those games.
5. Ben Johnson Joined an Exclusive Club in His First 11 Games
Ben Johnson now has eight wins in his first 11 games as a head coach. Only George Halas, Paddy Driscoll, and Matt Nagy ever started that hot in franchise history. Johnson already has more wins this year than Matt Eberflus had in any season he coached. The shift in culture has shown up every week. The Bears are 6-1 in one score games with Johnson after going 5-19 in those games under Eberflus.
Final Verdict
The Bears keep stacking wins, making history every Sunday, and giving fans a season nobody expected. The final stretch will decide who they really are, but right now you are watching one of the wildest Bears seasons in decades.