Bears Stay Perfect In Pittsburgh
By Benjy Lipsman in News on Sep 23, 2013 4:30PM
The Bears jumped out to an early lead against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field Sunday night and, while the Steelers made a second half run, they couldn't catch up. Two late scores put the game out of reach and the Bears left the Steel City with a 40-23 victory.
The Bears scored on the game's opening drive, with Jay Cutler finding Alshon Jeffrey repeatedly before a Robbie Gould field goal gave them a 3-0 lead. The Bears' D.J. Williams then sacked and stripped Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, and James Anderson recovered the fumble deep inside Pittsburgh territory. The turnover set up a short drive that ended with a Matt Forte 5-yard rushing touchdown and a 10-0 Bears lead. Chicago made the score 17-0 on their next possession when Michael Bush scored on a 1-yard run set up by a 55-yard run by Forte.
Pittsburgh finally got on the board in the second quarter with a 27-yard field goal after the Bears' defense held inside the 10-yard line. Major Wright picked off Roethlisberger on the Steelers' next possession and returned the interception 38 yards for a pick-six. That extended the Bears lead to 24-3, but Pittsburgh drove down the field for their first touchdown and cut the Bears lead to 24-10 at halftime.
After an early Bears field goal, Pittsburgh made a run in the second half with a field goal and touchdown pass on consecutive possessions, cutting the lead to 27-20 by the end of the third quarter. Another Steelers field goal cut the lead to four but on the Bears ensuing possession Cutler first scrambled for a first down and leveled a Steelers defender in the process.
To prove he didn't mess up his throwing shoulder, Cutler connected with Earl Bennett along the sideline of the end zone, and after review, the catch was ruled a Bears TD. To seal the deal, Julius Peppers finally showed up and ran a back fumble forced by Lance Briggs 42 yards for a touchdown. Gould's extra point was blocked, setting up the 40-23 final.
As we've seen so many times, the Bears defense was key to their win. Defensive coordinator Mel Tucker finally added some blitzes to their schemes, and the results were successful in causing turnovers. However, the defense may have suffered a very big blow when Henry Melton was taken off the field on a cart. Melton is out for the season with a torn ACL. Peanut Tillman also suffered a groin injury and was visibly slowed as Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown lit up the Bears secondary for 196 receiving yards and 2 TDs. PIttsburgh's offense out-gained the Bears by over 200 yards, yet the Bears came away with the convincing win as they again caused turnovers in mass quantities.
The Bears offense struggled at times, but made few mistakes. Cutler threw for 159 yards on 20 of 30 passing, with a TD pass and no interceptions. Brandon Marshall was quiet, catching five passes of 52 yards—41 of which came on one pass. Jeffrey caught seven balls for 51 yards, While one of Earl Bennett's two catches was the lone passing TD. Matt Forte ran for 87 yards on 16 carries.
At 3-0, the Bears are one of just three undefeated teams left in the NFC. While New Orleans and Seattle are both perfect on the year, expected powerhouses San Francisco and Green Bay are each just 1-2. The Bears look to pick up two games on the rest of the NFC North as they face the 2-1 Detroit Lions next Sunday. A win would move the Bears to 4-0 while dropping the Lions to .500. Before Sunday, the biggest concern for Bears fans is the fate of Melton's knee.