Dennis Allen hasn’t blinked when asked about various fill-ins the Chicago Bears have called upon on defense this season. In turn, it’s hard to find an example of a reserve who has blinked when pressed into action.
A Bears defense missing five starters Sunday at Soldier Field was too good for a Pittsburgh Steelers team missing future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. In a season in which unlikely heroes are arising on an almost weekly basis, it was some of the most recently promoted who delivered big plays in a 31-28 victory.
It marks the second four-game winning streak this season for a team that began the year with consecutive losses. The Bears (8-3) have won eight of their last nine, remain atop the NFC North and need one more victory in their final six games to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2018. Of course, they are hunting plenty more this season than finally being on the right side of .500.
10 thoughts after another narrow win for the Bears, who are 6-1 in games decided by five points or fewer.
1. This was an important game when you zoom out for a look at the big picture.
Safety Jonathan Owens celebrates after the Bears defeated the Steelers 31-28 at Soldier Field on Nov. 23, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
The Steelers (6-5) are the first opponent with a winning record the Bears have defeated. The win came before a short week of preparation and a trip to Philadelphia on Friday. It’s not that the Bears needed wiggle room in what could become a tight NFC playoff race, but it doesn’t hurt — especially before they have to tangle with the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles.
The win also helps validate what coach Ben Johnson and his staff have been working to instill. The Bears figured it would be a classic game in the trenches, the kind of physical battle you have to win outside when it’s cold in the second half of the season. The Bears were the more physical team and they certainly enjoyed better quarterback play as Caleb Williams was 19 of 35 for 239 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to DJ Moore.
It’s how the Bears held off the Steelers, though, that’s notable, with the top three linebackers — Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards and Noah Sewell — sitting out.
D’Marco Jackson, in his first NFL start, made 15 tackles. Amen Ogbongbemiga, a core special teams player pressed into action when rookie Ruben Hyppolite II left with a shoulder injury late in the first quarter, added 14 tackles.
Cornerback Nick McCloud, filling in for Tyrique Stevenson, who exited with a hip injury, made seven tackles. Opposite him, Nahshon Wright, who has started nearly all season with Jaylon Johnson injured, picked off Mason Rudolph’s first pass and broke up another rare deep shot by the Steelers backup quarterback, who rarely looked downfield.
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On offense, rookie Ozzy Trapilo made his first start at left tackle with Theo Benedet sidelined, and rookie Luke Newman wound up spelling Jonah Jackson at right guard for two scoring drives in the second quarter while the veteran had an eye injury looked at in the locker room.
“We were decimated in certain areas,” Johnson said. “The easy thing is to say, ‘Woe is me,’ and our guys didn’t do that. They just stepped up and kept battling through. It happens to most teams each season, too, where your depth gets tested. It just so happens it was this week for us.”
Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent, in an unrelated conversation last week about running the scout team during practice, made an observation that applies here.
“This is definitely by far the best staff at keeping the backups ready,” Bagent said. “In past years, you get too wrapped up into the season or whatever, but this staff does a really good job of making sure the guys that are backups are prepared to play.”
It’s almost as if Bagent had a premonition of what would be needed Sunday. Maybe a healthy Aaron Rodgers would have taken advantage of inexperienced linebackers and issues on the outside. If the Steelers hoped they could win those matchups with Rudolph, that changed immediately after the second offensive snap. Wright picked off an underthrown 50-50 ball to DK Metcalf for his fifth interception of the season.
“We knew what kind of game this was going to be,” free safety Kevin Byard III said. “It was, ‘Mason, let’s not have our offense mess it up.’ They wanted to let their defense eat and keep the game close toward the end. It was a lot of screen game and dink and dunks and just running the ball.
“Once we kind of figured that out, we were just loading the box. We knew they were going to run the ball. We still could have been a lot better. We just knew he wasn’t going to take too many shots, and the few times he did, it was on the outside. They were not going to throw the ball across the middle.”
Bears safety Kevin Byard III (31), cornerback Nick McCloud (24) and safety Jaquan Brisker (9) wrap up Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth during the fourth quarter on Nov. 23, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
The Steelers totaled 186 rushing yards, with Kenneth Gainwell carrying 10 times for 92 yards, including a 55-yard romp on fourth-and-1 when the Bears were expecting something up the middle. Jaylen Warren added 68 yards.
While Rudolph completed 24 of 31 passes, he got just 171 yards through the air with a net of 4.8 yards per drop-back. The rare times he looked comfortable, he was throwing the ball immediately.
How does the staff, especially on defense where the injuries have been concentrated, have the backups ready? Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen isn’t Mr. Original when he uses the phrase “next man up.” Maybe he has a unique approach to living that.
“For starters, it’s just the expectation that you know,” said special teamer Daniel Hardy, who gets time at defensive end and as an off-ball linebacker. “It’s not, ‘Well, you’ll play if somebody gets hurt.’ It’s, ‘You’re going to play, so you better be ready.’ There is an expectation that everybody in the room is ready to play at all times.”
Along those lines, Allen hits the players with pop quizzes every week, with questions that get to the smallest details. He’ll call on the highest-paid players on the roster to the most recent practice-squad additions. Talk about a situation with peer pressure to be on top of your stuff.
“You’ve got to know this because we’re a shoestring and whatever else away from you going in,” cornerback Josh Blackwell said of the spot players are in when called upon to deliver an answer. “That’s the reality of the NFL, right? It’s not that (Allen) has tried to embarrass anyone. But if you don’t know it, you could be the guy in that situation and we need you to make the play.”
McCloud, who had stops with four other teams before this season, said practices have the most competitive edge he has experienced in the NFL. That’s probably easier to create when a team is in the thick of the race and not playing out the string, but it’s an important distinction when you talk about working to improve on a weekly basis.
Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen congratulates cornerback Nick McCloud (24) as injured linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, right, watches after a 31-28 win over the Steelers on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, at Soldier Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
“By this point in the season last year, we were only doing practices in shells,” Hardy said. “We weren’t in pads. We still do it. Ben is getting every bit of preparation that he can out of us. The staff does a phenomenal job of keeping us ready. The narrative is be ready to play because you’re going to at some point.”
Edmunds was placed on injured reserve Saturday, and the team hopes he’s back before the regular season ends. Cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon could be green-lighted in time to face the Eagles. Edwards probably isn’t far off, so the Bears should look closer to whole soon.
“We’ll get some of the reinforcements back at some point,” Ben Johnson said. “But until then, we’ve got to hold down the fort. I can’t say enough good things about the guys that stepped up today to help us win that ballgame.”
Bagent’s take on how reserves are kept ready was interesting, and certainly the results support the premise.
“This coaching staff is really good at coaching, period,” said Elijah Hicks, the dime back of late. “A lot of it has to do with that and being very detailed, and then a lot of it is on the individual too. Because guys like (Jackson) and Amen and guys who have either been inactive or just been on special teams, it’s on them to stay locked in and be watching film and knowing the different adjustments that are going on.
“It’s great coaching, but a lot of it has to do with the players. You don’t ever want to have to change your routine because your opportunity has come.”
2. D’Marco Jackson and Amen Ogbongbemiga joined exclusive company when they combined for 29 tackles on Sunday.
Bears linebackers D’Marco Jackson (48) and Amen Ogbongbemiga (45) tackle Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell in the fourth quarter on Nov. 23, 2025, at Soldier Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Jackson was credited with five solos and 10 assists for 15 total tackles and Ogbongbemiga had two solos and 12 assists to give him 14. Only once prior to 1994, which is as far back as the tackle statistics go in Pro Football Reference, have the Bears had a pair of linebackers with 14 or more tackles in a game.
It happened on Oct. 16, 2006, in Glendale, Ariz., in what some call the “Monday Night Miracle.” Brian Urlacher had 19 tackles by the official press box total (coaches’ review of film later credited him with 25) and Lance Briggs had 15 that night. The wild rally for a victory over the Cardinals was one of the signature performances of Urlacher’s Hall of Fame career.
This is really the only way Jackson and Ogbongbemiga should be compared to Urlacher and Briggs, but, remarkably, it’s something that hasn’t happened any other time — and the fill-in linebackers were a big part of the victory.
Ben Johnson presented Jackson with one of two game balls in the locker room. He was the player who ran the defensive huddle with the green dot on his helmet and his relationship with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen from New Orleans paid off. Jackson was a core special teams player with the Saints the last two seasons and when he was waived in roster cutdowns, the Bears claimed him.
“When I got here, we talked,” Jackson said. “(Allen) just told me the expectations and things like that. He said he knew that he could count on me.”
With Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards and Noah Sewell all out, it was Jackson’s turn and he ran with it.
“It’s a great feeling,” Jackson said. “Really humbling. A roller coaster.”
Even though Jackson played only 73 snaps on defense the last two years in New Orleans, Allen felt like he had the aptitude to be a back-end player and his work on special teams was well documented. The experience — being waived and then claimed — was eye-opening for a guy who was a fifth-round draft pick in 2022 after being named the Sun Belt Conference defensive player of the year as a senior at Appalachian State.
Jackson expected bigger opportunities to come his way sooner in his career. But a hamstring injury forced him to spend his entire rookie season on injured reserve and the Saints had some veterans they liked in front of him. So, he bided his time on special teams.
Bears guards Jonah Jackson (73) and Jordan McFadden (74) smile as they walk off the field after defeating the Steelers 31-28 on Nov. 23, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
He’d been through disappointment before. Named a finalist for South Carolina’s Mr. Football award as a senior at Broome High School in Spartanburg in 2016, Jackson suffered a torn ACL a little more than midway through the season. He had a scholarship offer from South Carolina but that disappeared after the injury when other schools were scared off, too.
“The bigger schools, the major programs got out,” Jackson said. “Appalachian State stuck with me. I thought South Carolina was the spot for me.”
As challenging as the rehabilitation process was and having to readjust his sights on a school, none of that compared to being cut in New Orleans.
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“Because that is reality setting in,” he said. “It’s a humbling moment. You get cut and you realize like, ‘Wow.’ But I got to the NFL as a small-school guy with the chip on my shoulder. You get into the league and you wait for your opportunity to come. Obviously, it didn’t happen in New Orleans the way I thought it might. I was grateful to be able to go out there and help my team win today.”
Ogbongbemiga’s turn came when rookie Ruben Hyppolite II left with a shoulder injury. It’s been a trying season for the special teams ace. He missed the first eight games on injured reserve with a knee issue.
“I’ve had a lot of injuries that I’ve never dealt with before,” Ogbongbemiga said. “I’ve never really missed games in my career (just four in his first four seasons). 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. I didn’t get reps going into this week.
“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.”
It wasn’t perfect. The Steelers’ Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell had numbers on too many running plays and if that happens next week, the Bears will be in trouble. The Steelers’ game flow, no doubt, played into the tackle production for the linebackers. That’s what Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is. The run game foundation is the beginning of his playbook and he was playing with a backup quarterback who tried to major in a horizontal passing game.
The Bears saw a lot of misdirection and a lot of movements designed to deceive the interior players. The fake tush push was a perfect example. They didn’t have any linebackers flowing to the edge. There was no one home. Warren’s 1-yard touchdown run was a crack block inside on Jackson by wide receiver Ben Skowronek. Cornerback Nick McCloud didn’t replace him, so it was a walk-in score. Smith did a few things to expose the linebackers at times.
But the pair of Jackson and Ogbongbemiga did enough and they certainly didn’t get picked on in the passing game by Rudolph. It was a huge moment for two role players who proved to be ready when their time arrived.
“It feels good just because of all the adversity I faced this year,” Ogbongbemiga said.
3. A conversation about how far the Bears have come so far this season — a mighty long way — and where the year could ultimately head has to include a discussion of the quarterbacks they’ve been facing.
Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph runs the ball during the fourth quarter against the Bears at Soldier Field on Nov. 23, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Five of the last six quarterbacks the Bears have gone against do not have 20 career starts, and Mason Rudolph is the second-most experienced on the list. Sunday’s game was the 19th start of his seven-year career.
Oct. 19: Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints, 13th career start
Oct. 26: Tyler Huntley, Baltimore Ravens, 15th career start
Nov. 2: Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals, 198th career start
Nov. 9: Jaxson Dart, New York Giants, seventh career start
Nov. 16: J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings, fifth career start
Nov. 23: Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh Steelers, 19th career start
Dart is a rookie and McCarthy and Rattler are in their second seasons. Huntley started the season as the No. 3 in Baltimore and Flacco, of course, was playing in place of Joe Burrow.
The Bears are 5-1 in this collection of games and they’ve done what good teams do — they’ve found a way to win close games in every instance but the Saints game, which was 26-14 and probably should have had a wider margin at the end. The QB ratings for the six quarterbacks ranged from 47.7 on the low end for McCarthy to 116.9 on the high end for Huntley, the one loss in the span. The Bears dominated McCarthy and Rattler (three interceptions) and they prevented Rudolph from hitting them for many explosive plays.
It was surprising the Steelers didn’t challenge the Bears more downfield, especially after cornerback Tyrique Stevenson went out with a hip injury on the second Pittsburgh possession. Rudolph drew a 27-yard pass interference call on Stevenson’s replacement, Nick McCloud, and Nahshon Wright got flagged for pass interference that cost 11 yards. But Rudolph wasn’t comfortable in the pocket and his eyes rarely went to the second and third levels.
The hope here is that the Bears, who didn’t choose the schedule, have picked up some good habits along the way, learning how to win close games, like this one was. Stuff happens, but off the top of my head, I can’t remember a stretch like this where the team has encountered so many backups and very inexperienced quarterbacks in such an extended stretch of games. I can remember the Bears starting lousy backup quarterbacks on occasion over the years against other teams, but this is a bit of a quarterbacking mirage the Bears have been facing.
Those who thought the Bears might be better off facing Aaron Rodgers than Rudolph — and there were some who wondered about that this past week — were delusional. Rodgers is far from the guy he was in his prime in Green Bay, who made a sport of defeating the Bears twice per season. But he’s still Rodgers and you better believe he would have exposed more holes on the second and third levels of the defense.
The schedule will now provide an opportunity to assess where the defense is and how it will perform against better quarterbacks. There’s a game on Friday at Philadelphia. Jalen Hurts played better against a lousy Dallas Cowboys defense on Sunday and he’s a former Super Bowl MVP. There are two games against Jordan Love, one against Brock Purdy and a rematch with Jared Goff in Week 18.
So, barring even more injuries to quarterbacks on the Bears’ schedule, there are plenty of tests looming against quarterbacks who have played in big-time games. There will be many more data points for a well-rounded discussion in January.
4. Caleb Williams had some passes that were way off the mark — one was a gimme interception right to Steelers safety Kyle Dugger that he dropped.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams throws in the third quarter against the Steelers at Soldier Field on Nov. 23, 2025. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
But one thing that stood out was that the quarterback is getting more comfortable throwing the ball in the middle of the field.
Williams finished 19 of 35 for 239 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. His biggest mistake was retreating into the end zone at the start of the second quarter when T.J. Watt beat right tackle Darnell Wright off the line. The play began at the 10-yard line and Watt wound up popping the ball loose for Nick Herbig to recover for a touchdown. Ben Johnson won’t need a long conversation with Williams about that play. He simply can’t try to be the hero in that situation. He’s got to get rid of the ball or take a sack in the field of play.
Williams’ completion percentage dipped to 59.2 and that’s something that has to remain a focus, but it’s encouraging to see him attempt and complete more throws in the middle of the field where there’s traffic.
“I’ve got to go look at that tape, but 31 points on offense, that’s always a good thing when you get over 30,” Johnson said. “From my perspective, we probably had a couple that we let get away from us but I don’t know many quarterbacks that do play a perfect game.”
Since the Cincinnati Bengals game at the beginning of the month, Williams has shown more desire to get the ball to tight ends and, of course, those throws are often in the middle third of the field. The Bears are looking at Colston Loveland as a wide receiver in the red zone. He’s going to win the vast majority of his matchups there against a safety and he’s got excellent foot quickness. That allows him to beat press coverage and then he can widen the safety and use that quickness to get inside and then create leverage to the football where he’s shielding the play with his frame. That can be a weapon as a backside X or a power guy in the slot.
Loveland was matched up on Dugger on third-and-5 from the 12-yard line and he easily got inside of the safety. The throw was on the money, and just like that Loveland had his third touchdown of the season.
The 25-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore running the seam was an excellent play design. The Steelers are a single high post defense a lot of the time and they will play three-deep zones. The Bears had a 3×1 formation and ran four verticals. Williams focused on the front side and it’s a layup touchdown if the defense doesn’t carry Moore, which it failed to do. No. 3 Rome Odunze ran directly at the post safety to freeze him. No. 1 Luther Burden released outside and that left a huge space for Moore.
Williams is showing he is more willing to cut it loose and put the ball in more crowded spaces on the field. Some guys will not do that. Justin Fields refused to with the Bears and it crippled the passing game. Mitch Trubisky had a tough time in the middle of the field.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams celebrates a 31-28 win over the Steelers on Nov. 23, 2025, at Soldier Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Fundamentally, there’s still a lot to work on. Williams has a tendency to get stuck on his back foot at times, waiting for his primary read to uncover. That will lead to questions like why isn’t he getting the ball to two or three in the progression and why aren’t two or three open? Well, the timing is off for the secondary reads if he’s stuck on No. 1 for too long.
“Today, just in the beginning, it didn’t feel like I got into a good rhythm,” Williams said. “I was missing passes and it was kind of weird. I wasn’t too frustrated like a couple weeks ago where I was just missing and I got supremely frustrated and things like that. I understood and I wrote on my notes for myself to stay positive for myself and also the guys.
“I think I did a solid job with that this week. You know, just was missing, like I said, on passes and routes that I’ve been hitting the past couple weeks and been pretty good with. We’ll figure it out. We’ll go back and watch and figure out why.”
5. Montez Sweat is taking off and he’s putting up the kind of numbers he did when he was acquired in 2023 — stats in bunches.
Bears defensive end Montez Sweat celebrates after a sack and fumble recovery in the third quarter against the Steelers at Soldier Field on Nov. 23, 2025. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Sweat has two sacks, including a strip/sack of Mason Rudolph in the third quarter, and three quarterback hits. In the last six games — since the Oct. 19 game against the New Orleans Saints — he has 6 1/2 sacks and nine quarterback hits.
What was a legitimate concern at the start of the season is no longer. Entering the Washington game on Oct. 13 (Sweat was credited with a forced fumble in that game), he had really been struggling to create splash plays. From the start of the 2024 season to that point, he’d produced 6 1/2 sacks and 15 QB hits. In that span, 68 players had more sacks and 69 had more QB hits.
Since then, he’s been playing like the player the Bears are paying him to be and that’s got to be reassuring for everyone from the coaching staff to the front office. The strip/sack was pivotal as it set up a possession the Bears turned into a touchdown on a 2-yard run by Kyle Monangai to go ahead 31-21 with 14:14 remaining.
“I think it was a play action,” Sweat said. “I saw the tight end, gave him a move, came around and sacked the quarterback. I saw the ball was out, saw a couple of people try to pick it up, saw the ball on the ground and I just covered it up.”
Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. tried to scoop the ball and take off and missed. He’s fortunate Sweat was there to cover it. Later in the game, Sweat had a chance for a third sack but Rudolph spun out.
“He’s been heating up since the bye week,” Ben Johnson said. “You just feel it each week. He seems to impact the game a little more each week. It’s good to see that come on. I feel him. I feel (DT) Grady (Jarrett), (DE Austin Booker), I feel all those guys. Whenever we get that two-score lead there, that’s when it certainly starts to play in our favor a little bit more as well.”
Sweat didn’t feel he was playing poorly at the start of the season.
“I think I am just taking advantage of my opportunities,” he said. “Early in the season I felt like I was playing good ball, but the stats are starting to come through for me. It’s a blessing. We still have a lot left on the table to get cleaned up.”
Bears defensive end Montez Sweat celebrates the win over the Steelers at Soldier Field on Nov. 23, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett offered an interesting perspective, pointing out that it probably took a little time, even for a veteran, to feel at home in the new scheme. That wasn’t something I necessarily expected because a lot of times edge rusher is viewed as one of the easiest positions to plug a player in and watch him go: See quarterback, hit quarterback.
“I think he’s more comfortable with the scheme and I think he’s worked at it, to his credit,” Garrett said. “Little bit more studying. Practicing harder. Not that he wasn’t practicing hard but these are his goals for himself, ‘Hey, I want to do this better. I want to study better. I want to practice harder. I want to do the walk-through better.’ You’re seeing the results on the field of a guy who has worked to improve himself.”
Garrett said there’s some truth to the idea that pass rushers should be pretty impactful quickly in a new scheme. At the same time, there’s nuance to it.
“There are some things that slow you down when you have a new scheme,” Garrett said. “Maybe you’re in a situation where in a split-second you have to say, ‘Can I make this move right here because where is the pressure coming from? Where does this guy fit?’ There is a feel for when to take your shot and when to not within the scheme. That’s part of it.”
Sweat is having a lot more success shooting his shot now. That’s for certain.
6. The Bears have to feel good about second-round draft pick Ozzy Trapilo’s first start at left tackle against a defense that entered the game third in the NFL in sacks.
Bears offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo (75) works to protect quarterback Caleb Williams in the second quarter against the Steelers on Nov. 23, 2025, at Soldier Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
The Steelers were credited with only one quarterback hit — that came on the T.J. Watt strip/sack on the opposite side — and for Trapilo to come out of his first start without having glaring plays that changed the course of possessions, that’s a positive.
It will be interesting to see how offensive line coach Dan Roushar evaluates the effort. He’s got a critical eye for what his linemen do. Reality is that going from an undrafted player in Theo Benedet, who was out with a quad injury, to a second-round pick isn’t the worst predicament to be in.
The Bears have a good line around Trapilo and he’s playing next to one of the best left guards in the last 20 years in Joe Thuney. Ben Johnson is mindful of his linemen when he calls games. He designs things to help them with chips and, of course, Caleb Williams is as slippery a quarterback in the NFL as there is when it comes to avoiding pressure. All of that made for a smoother debut for Trapilo.
It’s helped that Trapilo has been practicing on the left and right sides since Braxton Jones went on injured reserve five weeks ago. And his involvement in the jumbo package as an eligible lineman helped.
“Especially moving around, motioning, things like that,” Trapilo said. “I think it helps a lot, being right-handed, left-handed stance, sometimes it’s pass, sometimes it’s run. It helped me acclimate in a way.
“I think it’s helped me sort of become well-rounded and able to do both. Wherever they need me. I think I can go and perform.”
There will be a lot of stuff Trapilo and Roushar want to be better. No question about that. But when Johnson goes through a news conference and doesn’t get a single question about a left tackle making his first start, that’s a good sign.
7. How good is the NFC right now? If the playoffs were based on Monday morning’s standings, the Detroit Lions (7-4) would not be in the postseason.
Bears fans cheer during the fourth quarter in the game against the Steelers at Soldier Field on Nov. 23, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
How big is Friday’s game at the Philadelphia Eagles (8-3)? A Bears’ win would vault them into second place in the NFC, a half-game behind the Los Angeles Rams (9-2), who thumped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
A glance at the conference standings right now:
1. Rams (9-2)
2. Eagles (8-3)
3. Bears (8-3)
4. Buccaneers (6-5) (tops in NFC South)
5. Seahawks (8-3)
6. Packers (7-3-1)
7. 49ers (7-4)
———
8. Lions (7-4)
9. Panthers (6-5)
10. Cowboys (5-5-1)
Only the top seed in the conference earns a first-round bye. The No. 2 seed, of course, earns the right to play at home unless it reaches the NFC Championship Game and the top seed is still alive. So, there’s a ton at stake with a LONG way to go.
The 49ers host the Panthers on Monday night in a pivotal game. The victory over the Steelers was big for the Bears because with six games remaining, they probably only need two more wins to reach the playoffs. That’s not a lock, though. The Seahawks stayed home at 10-7 last year.
NFC North roundup: Detroit Lions win in OT while Green Bay Packers pound Minnesota Vikings 23-6
“For (fans), if they want to think (about the playoffs), that’s fine,” Caleb Williams said when asked if it was premature to start wondering about the postseason. “But for us, it’s just the next game. If we go 1-0 in each week, we’ll be exactly where we want to be, and they’ll be here supporting us, cheering us on like they always do.”
8. Owners have pushed back against the NFLPA player report cards that have been released for the last three years.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles walks around the field before the game against the Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Nov. 2, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Some of the feedback that has been produced has resulted in improvements for the Bears.
ESPN reported earlier this month that the league has filed a grievance over the union’s practice of releasing the results of polls it conducts with players. The owners believe it is a violation of the collective bargaining agreement because the public release of the results can make some teams and owners look bad.
You bet it was a bad look for the Bidwills in 2023 when the initial NFLPA report cards were released and it was revealed the Arizona Cardinals deducted money from players’ checks if they grabbed dinner from the team facility or tried to get a meal during offseason workouts.
“That was crazy,” said Bears tight end Cole Kmet, a player representative to the NFLPA. “That would be good to know if I was a free agent at that time. If you are serious about winning, the main source of fuel for your players and making sure they are healthy is what they are eating and diet.”
The Cardinals no longer charge players for food and that’s one example of how these report cards have been good for the league in general.
In 2023, the Bears earned a C-minus grade for how the organization treats player families on game days and a D-plus for nutrition. The organization has gotten significantly better in those areas and now offers child care for players’ families that require it during home games. That’s a very small thing in the grand scheme of things, but it matters to some players and the club responded.
The Bears ranked 14th overall in the 2025 report card. A lot of those grades — training room, locker room, food/dining, ownership willingness to invest, etc. — were closely grouped together. The Bears got dinged last year because players banged coach Matt Eberflus. Guess what? Any coach who piles up losses like Eberflus did is probably going to get an F.
“We’re going ahead and doing them still for this year,” said Kmet, who is aware of the grievance owners have filed. “They will still be coming out. I think you hear from guys across the league and it’s positive. I give credit to the organization here. (The Bears) took it and said, ‘What can we do better?’ It was constructive. The game day experience for families has been better.
“Things like food, there has been a huge upgrade since they started the report cards here. They’ve really stepped up and they keep putting money into our resources which the players have really noticed.”
Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, signed to the Bears practice squad last week, has been the NFLPA president since 2024. He believes that, as transparent as everything in the NFL is, public report cards are beneficial for the union and fair for everyone.
“I think it’s a way for players to communicate with each other and kind of voice what we experience,” he said. “We’re a union so we’re all one. Everyone knows the standards and what they can expect in each place.
“We’re in an industry where everything is in glass. People come ask us questions every day. Guys play the game. And the score for how they rate against every other player is on full blast. If you’re 200 out of 200, it’s on national television for everyone to see to observe and make judgments on.
“I think it’s a little contradictory for that same high standard to not be held across the league (for owners). It’s not to say everyone is bad. There are places where guys are really taken care of and that’s reflected. The ones that care get to their players and ask them, ‘What’s your experience? What could be better?’ They take advantage of that and become better. There are some places that just think they are the world and they hold everything to a high standard and that’s not always the case. This is an industry that is based on being the best all of the time and that should be reflected.”
9. I think it’s fair to say that special teams coordinator Richard Hightower enjoyed a game in relative anonymity on Sunday.
Bears place kicker Cairo Santos kicks a successful field goal in the second quarter against the Steelers at Soldier Field on Nov. 23, 2025. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
I say that because a veteran personnel man who has been doing it a long time said something that resonated with me when we chatted last week. I told him there’d been a lot of discussion about the Bears and special teams this season and there have been some big plays late in games and big kicks — and there have been some breakdowns. It’s a layered conversation when you’re talking about the Bears and special teams.
He replied that his team has been going through a roller coaster on special teams this season and offered this up.
“If no one notices you, it’s a good day,” the personnel man said. “You can only (screw) it up. Unless you block a punt or have a return touchdown and you’re the hero, your goal is just to not be noticed.”
I think there are some things that were notable from the game. First, Cairo Santos’ “dirty ball” kickoff — a low liner designed to hit the ground at the front of the landing zone — pinned Pittsburgh on its own 5-yard line after the Bears’ first touchdown. Later in the first half, Santos struck a low line drive kick to the left side that bounced into the end zone for a touchback to the 20. The Steelers’ average starting field position on five kickoffs was their own 21-yard line. That’s hidden yardage that added up in a big way for the Bears.
In the third quarter, a holding penalty on Ben Skowronek negated a Pittsburgh punt that would have had the Bears starting on their own 10-yard line. The Bears elected to have the Steelers re-kick and Corliss Waitman, who was with the Bears in the offseason last year, had a terrible kick that set the Bears up on their own 40, a difference of 30 yards. That’s where they began the drive that ended on DJ Moore’s 25-yard touchdown catch.
10. Caleb Williams was sacked once.
Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt sacks Bears quarterback Caleb Williams to cause a fumble resulting in a touchdown for the Steelers during the second quarter at Soldier Field on Nov. 23, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
The Bears have surrendered 17 so far, putting them on pace for only 26 this season. That’s remarkable considering the team had allowed 44 sacks through the first 11 games in 2024. The Bears entered the week with a sack percentage of 4.61%, the fourth-best in the NFL.
Here are the times since 1995 the Bears have allowed 30 or fewer sacks in a season.
2016: 28
2013: 30
2008: 29
2006: 25
2001: 17
1995: 15 (franchise record and 2.79% sack percentage)
10a. It was interesting to see Ben Johnson choose to punt on two fourth-down situations in the second half.
The first occurred in the third quarter when he sent Tory Taylor on the field with a fourth-and-1 on the Bears’ 36-yard line. They led 24-21 at the time.
The second instance was in the fourth quarter with the Bears ahead 31-28 when facing a fourth-and-2 on their own 40 with 4:46 remaining. Taylor hit a good ball 49 yards that was downed at the Steelers’ 11.
Bears coach Ben Johnson communicates with coaches in the fourth quarter against the Steelers at Soldier Field on Nov. 23, 2025. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Johnson has been go-for-broke at other times this season. The Bears have gone for it five times on fourth-and-1. They’ve gone for it twice on fourth-and-2 and three times each when it’s been fourth down and they’ve needed three or four yards.
This was the first time they’ve punted on fourth-and-1 and there were three previous punts on fourth-and-2 in instances where the offense was on its own 18-, 17- and 26-yard line.
I think game situation and knowing the Steelers were having a difficult time generating any explosive plays probably played into Johnson’s thinking. Plus, he was confident Taylor could flip the field.
10b. I noted that CBS analyst J.J. Watt was closely inspecting the Soldier Field sod before the game. He was walking the field and really taking a look at the surface.
Watt replied to the post I made on social media and it’s an encouraging sign for the work the team and park district do to keep the field in good shape in the second half of the season.
“Shorter and faster grass than I ever remember here. It’s clearly new sod, freshly laid, with some sand over the top of it. Can definitely see the defined lines between the pieces. But for mid-November in Chicago, no snow, no rain, it’s about as good as you can hope for,” Watt posted.
10c. Amazon Prime Video will broadcast Friday’s game against the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit and Kaylee Hartung will be on the call. The game kicks off at 2 p.m.
10d. The Eagles opened as a 7-point favorite over the Bears at Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/24/chicago-bears-brad-biggs-10-thoughts-week-12-steelers/
