Bears Again…Barely

The Bears didn’t need a thrilling last-minute comeback for the fourth straight game, but they still staged an impressive rally Sunday at Soldier Field.

Trailing the Steelers 21-14 late in the second quarter, the Bears scored 17 unanswered points to take a 31-21 fourth-period lead and hung on for a 31-28 victory.

Caleb Williams threw three touchdown passes and the injury-depleted defense generated two takeaways that the offense converted into 14 points. In recording their fourth straight win and eighth in nine games, the Bears (8-3) remained in first place in the NFC North ahead of the Packers (7-3-1) and Lions (7-4), both of whom also won Sunday.

“Really proud of the guys,” said coach Ben Johnson. “Thought they did a phenomenal job just responding. We were decimated in certain areas. 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, and it just so happens it was this week for us.”

Six regulars on the Bears defense were out due to injuries: End Dayo Odeyingbo (Achilles); linebackers Tremaine Edmunds (groin), T.J. Edwards (hand/hamstring) and Noah Sewell; and cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson (groin) and Kyler Gordon (calf).

Three more defensive players exited the game with injuries: cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (hip), linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II (shoulder) and end Dominique Robinson (concussion).

Relying on backups such as linebackers D’Marco Jackson and Amen Ogbongbemiga and cornerback Nick McCloud, the defense in the second half allowed only seven points and 134 total yards, produced a momentum-swinging takeaway via a Montez Sweat strip sack and clinched the win with a fourth-down stop in the final minute.

“That’s the type of guys that we have, the caliber of people that we have,” Johnson said. “They just keep fighting and keep plugging away. I can’t say enough good things about the guys that stepped up today to help us win the ballgame.”

Protecting a 24-21 lead late in the third quarter, Sweat registered his second sack of the game, forcing and recovering a Mason Rudolph fumble at the Chicago 46.