Chicago Bears linebackers D’Marco Jackson and Amen Ogbongbemiga each had their demons to wrestle with before tackling player after player during Sunday’s 31-28 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Soldier Field.

For Jackson, it was wife Carley who saw him practicing defensive calls in the mirror, his face bearing the weight of stepping into a big role with the Bears missing their top three linebackers in Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards and Noah Sewell.

“She could tell I was anxious a little bit, just (making my) first start,” he said

For Ogbongbemiga, it was the sting of not getting the starting nod despite those absences.

“I didn’t get reps going into this week,” he said. “I’m a competitor, so I was expecting to play. And when I was told I wasn’t going to be with the first group, especially with all the guys (that were hurt), I stayed down, stayed with my process and just kept going.”

Both had to step up in a big way, especially after Sunday’s other starting linebacker, rookie Ruben Hyppolite II, went down in the first quarter with a shoulder injury.

Jackson had a career-best and game-high 15 tackles, including five solo stops. Ogbongbemiga followed closely behind with 14.

The Bears were managing so many injuries, they had to lean heavily on nickel and dime packages.

Counting it all up, they had four of their top defenders on injured reserve (Edmunds, defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo, cornerback Jaylon Johnson and nickel corner Kyler Gordon), ruled out another two Friday (Edwards and Sewell) and had four hurt during the game (cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, hip; defensive end Dominique Robinson, concussion; Hyppolite; and Ogbongbemiga, though he returned).

Ogbongbemiga and Jackson were the prime examples of how the Bears defense kept taking hits but kept punching back.

Cornerback Nahshon Wright, once considered a backup himself, set the tone for the defense by intercepting Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph when Rudolph tested him with his first pass — a deep shot to DK Metcalf along the left sideline.

It was Wright’s fifth pick of the season, placing him in a tie for the NFL lead with teammate Kevin Byard III.

“Happy for him,” Byard said. “He’s getting on my nerves a little bit because we got a little bet going. … This guy has been playing big-time ball.”

Byard said Wright talked a little smack to him on the sideline: “He said, ‘I’m catching up.’ We’re tied right now, so we’re in a battle.”

Week 12 photos: Chicago Bears 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 28

Montez Sweat had two sacks, his first game with at least two since Week 15 of the 2023 season, a 20-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns.

“Just taking advantage of my opportunities,” he said. “Earlier in the season, I felt like I was playing good ball, but the stats are starting to come through for me.”

On the second sack, he stripped Rudolph and recovered the fumble himself at the Bears 46-yard line. The offense capitalized on the takeaway with Kyle Monangai’s 2-yard touchdown run to go up 31-21.

“(I saw) the tight end (Darnell Washington), gave him a move, came around, sacked the quarterback,” Sweat said. “I (saw) the ball was out. I think a couple of people tried to pick it up and run. I (saw) it on the ground and just covered it up.”

Bears defensive end Montez Sweat (98) recovers a fumble after sacking Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph in the third quarter Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, at Soldier Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Sweat almost had a third sack, but Rudolph slipped from his grasp as he tried to wrap up.

“Yeah, I’ve got to finish that,” Sweat said. “That’s the difference between good and great. Would’ve been my first hat trick.”

Safety Jaquan Brisker sealed the win, tipping Rudolph’s pass to Metcalf on fourth-and-6 from the Bears 47. The Bears entered the week with a league-high 22 takeaways.

“It was great sealing the deal, finish the game, especially against Pittsburgh, where I’m from,” Brisker said. “This group is resilient. We make a lot of plays, we trust each other. Chemistry is growing.”

That chemistry showed with how Jackson managed the game, wearing the green dot as the player relaying communications from defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to his teammates. He believes he wore it only one other time with the New Orleans Saints, for whom he played for three seasons before joining the Bears.

He said it was a focus all week: “After practice I’m talking to the D-line, the DBs, like, ‘Hey, (are) y’all good on the calls? Y’all good with my vocalness?”

“Kudos to D-Jack, Hyppolite … and Amen, all the guys who stepped up,” Sweat said. “They did a great job just running around. They did a great job getting us the calls too.”

Bears linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga celebrates after a tackle in the second quarter against the Steelers on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, at Soldier Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Obongbemiga was soft-spoken and emotional after the game.

“I’ve had a lot of injuries that I’ve never dealt with before,” he said.

He was placed on IR with a knee injury in August and was activated Nov. 6. He played in the previous two games.

“I missed the whole spring, got knocked out early in the preseason, missed a whole bunch of games there, and that was hard on me,” said Obongbemiga, who called it a “humbling” experience.

When asked about his 14 tackles, Obongbemiga said: “I was playing with passion and determination and wasn’t really worried about the number. I was just trying to help the team win.

“These guys supported me. These guys stuck by me the whole time. I’m just blessed.”

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Like his linebacking mate, Jackson said he felt the support from teammates and coaches.

“With the injuries, I had an idea that (there was the) potential for more playing time,” he said. “But really, working with the coaches, working with players, putting in extra work all together — with Ruben, Amen, Noah, T.J., Tremaine, Carl (Jones Jr.), the new guy, JRM (Jalen Reeves-Maybin) — it’s special just because every single guy, it wasn’t no jealousy or anything like that. It was just like everyone just wanted to get that win, that 1-0 feeling.”

Jackson also said his wife supported him while he was focused on the biggest opportunity of his career.

“We got a 6-month-old, and for her just to say, ‘Hey, I got the baby at night,’” said Jackson, who was carrying his daughter in the Soldier Field tunnel after the game. “She’s starting to grow teeth, and you can only imagine what that is.

“So she’s waking up every hour with my daughter, Drew, and just the support that she had and belief she had to take care of things at home because she knew I was going to be stepping up to a bigger task at work. … Just the support from her, it was huge for me out there.”

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