The Chicago Bears are now 8-3 following a big-time win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. They will be discredited for beating Mason Rudolph, who was in for the injured Aaron Rodgers, but they had huge injuries of their own and they have found ways to win close football games week after week.
Every game for the Bears gets harder and harder from here on out. Not only are their upcoming opponents (teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, and Detroit Lions) getting stronger, but the Bears are being taken more seriously due to their ability to squeak out wins.
In this game against the Steelers, the Bears used everyone active to help. There have been a ton of injury issues, but the replacements keep being just good enough for the team to win. Following a team win like this one, here is a grade for every unit of the football team.
Offense: B
The offense was not great early in the game. Caleb Williams was dealing with accuracy issues, the team was struggling to gain momentum on multiple drives in a row, and they weren’t scoring at a high enough clip. The offense also allowed the Steelers’ defense to score a touchdown with a sack fumble recovery in the endzone. Once the second half came around, however, the offense gave the team a chance to win. As he has for most of the season, Williams started to turn it on when they needed him the most. Making good throws to receivers once in the red zone is important in the NFL, and Williams found a way. The NFL’s second-ranked run game also struggled to get going, totaling just 99 yards.
Defense: B
The defense was nothing spectacular in this game, but it was good enough to win, especially considering they were down their three starting linebackers, top two cornerbacks and suffered injuries during the game, as well. They didn’t allow every point that the Steelers scored, either, as one Steelers touchdown came as a result of a bad play on offense. But the defense held Pittsburgh to just seven points in the second half, including a couple of huge stops at the end of the game that preserved the win. Normally, the Bears can win games where the defense allows 21 points or fewer. That was the case in this game.
Special Teams: A
Special teams were once again good for the Bears. Tory Taylor was able to pin the Steelers’ offense in at times, Cairo Santos made his kicks when they were asked, and the rest of the group didn’t do anything to give the Steelers any momentum. There have been games where special teams have almost lost Chicago games, and there have been a few times where they have saved the team from defeat. This week, everyone just kind of did their job and didn’t make too much noise doing it.
Coaching: A
Ben Johnson has to be getting into Coach of the Year territory now. The Bears, who consistently come in last, are in first place with a very good record. Johnson’s coaching and scheming on offense have allowed this team to take a step with minimal star power. The fact that this team is going to keep developing its players and they will get better is scary. What will Johnson be able to accomplish once he has a roster loaded with Pro Bowlers? All of his assistants are doing a good job, too. These grades are all good here for the Bears after Week 12, meaning the coordinators are on their game right now, leading them. As a result, the coaching staff as a whole gets an A-grade. Johnson just beat Mike Tomlin, who is one of the best head coaches in NFL history. Now, he will have his hands full with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles next. He will have a plan.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears report card: How we graded Chicago in Week 12 win vs. Steelers
Reporting by Vincent Parise, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
