Monday Night Football returned to Heinz Field, as the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Chicago Bears. There were a number of interesting stats heading into this contest. Pittsburgh had won 19 straight home games on Monday Night Football. They also hold a 6-1 record when donning their Color Rush uniforms. While these two teams only play each other once every four years, the Steelers had lost three straight to Chicago with their last win coming in 2005.
Pittsburgh got the scoring started at the 9:46 mark of the first quarter when Najee Harris rushed for a 10yd touchdown. The Steelers doubled that lead early in the second quarter when Ben Roethlisberger threw a 4yd touchdown pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth. The Bears finally got on the board with 19 seconds left in the half when Cairo Santos kicked a 30yd field goal.
Santos would also get the scoring started in the second half when he booted a 22yd field midway through the third quarter. Roethlisberger and Freiermuth connected again late in the quarter, this time from 10yds out. Chris Boswell would miss the extra point, which at the time didn’t seem like much, but it would keep the game closer than it should have been when Chicago rallied in the fourth quarter.
That rally began when Darnell Mooney rushed for a 15yd touchdown less than a minute into the fourth quarter to put the Bears down by seven. Boswell pushed the lead to ten with a 54yd field goal less than three minutes later. Chicago cut that lead to just three when Ray-Ray McCloud fumbled a punt and DeAndre Houston-Carson returned it 25yds for a touchdown.
Pittsburgh would settle for a 52yd field goal on their next drive to give themselves a six-point lead. With their next possession, the Bears would take their only lead of the night. That would occur when Justin Fields threw a 16yd touchdown pass to Mooney. Thankfully that lead would not last long, as the Steelers marched down the field on their final drive to set up Boswell for the game winning 40yd field goal to give Pittsburgh a 29-27 victory. Chicago would attempt a 65yd field goal as time expired, but it fell well short.
This game felt like a typical Steelers victory, in the sense that they had opportunities to put this game away early and win big, but a few mistakes allowed the other team to remain in the game. At the end of the day, it is a win and the team now sits only a game out of first in the division, and is in the hunt for one of the three wild card spots.
Pittsburgh will be at home once again next week when the host the Detroit Lions in what feels like a trap game. Detroit is winless this year and is coming off a bye week. With how the Steelers appear to play down to their opponents, and how the Lions have lost some close games this year, look for this one to be tight for all sixty minutes.
Overall Record: 5-3
