Bears Game 3 Surprise

September 25, 2017

I thought it would have to be a cold day in hell before the Bears would beat the Steelers. Nor did I think that things would be different on a scorching hot day in Chicago. In my wildest dreams I never envisioned Bears 23, Pittsburgh Steelers 17. The Bears took control early, then hung on for this highly unlikely victory. This may be the high point in a season full of low points. But the blueprint for success was evident.

I have said the Bears defense will keep the team competitive. The defense was outstanding. This is a Pittsburgh team with multiple play makers. The Bears held them to 300 total yards. The Steelers ground game generated only 60 yards. The number is only that high because Le’Veon Bell broke off a couple of big plays but for the most part he had only short gains. Ben Roethisberger, who has had multiple games with 300 yards passing only had 235. The pass rush had good pressure, forcing him be off the mark. They also had 3 sacks, one which resulted in a fumble recovery.  A turnover!

The strong part of the Bears offense is the running. In the previous two games they had to abandon the run because they fell behind. This week when they grabbed a lead they didn’t have to rely on their quarterback and their mason crew receivers. The combination of Howard and Cohen plus great offensive line play led by a returning Kyle Long was the key to winning this game. The play of the game for me was Massie recovering a Cohen fumble, otherwise Pittsburgh gets great field position.

There is room for improvement.  They would not have needed overtime if not for the dumb. I think dumb will become a recurring theme this season. Marcus Cooper fumbling at the one yard line, loafing into the end zone.  He claims he thought he had crossed the goal line. More likely he was thinking about his celebration. The Bears got lucky to get another down. I’m not an expert but I do know if a team has possession of the ball and it rolls out of the end zone it is not a safety. This was followed by a dumb penalty with the ball at the 1 yard line. The Bears get what turns out to be a badly needed field goal but lose 4 points in the process.  Marcus Cooper's defensive holding penalty on a third down goal line stand, and holding on a great kickoff return by Cohen were also costly.  Before we pounce all over Cooper, he was targeted nine times and gave up only one reception. What will always be dumb is starting the wrong quarterback. Glennon completed 15 passes for 101 yards, less than seven yards per. Take away the one good pass he threw for 17 yards to Miller and the average drops to an even 6. Of course he also threw an interception and when he gets sacked it’s for 9 or 10 yards. The team's trust in his ability shows when on second down with seven or more yards for a first down they run the ball. Luckily, the running game saved the day.

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The biggest problem with the win is that it stunts the growth of Trubisky. Meanwhile this good feel probably won’t even last a whole week. Green Bay is Thursday.