The Steelers suffered their first loss of the season Sunday when they dropped a 23-17 decision in overtime against the Bears in Chicago. Here are some initial impressions from the defeat.
It was over when: Chicago running back Jordan Howard completed a huge day with a 19-yard run for a touchdown in the extra session.
Heroes: Tight end Vance McDonald and punter Jordan Berry somehow stopped Chicago’s Marcus Cooper from scoring after he recovered a loose ball on a blocked Chris Boswell field goal attempt at the end of the first half. Cooper inexplicably slowed down at the end of a long run toward the goal line, which wouldn’t have mattered if the Steelers had given up on the play. But because both players hustled through the whistle, McDonald was able to force a fumble at the 1-yard line line while Berry batted the ball out of the end zone so that Chicago couldn’t recover and score there. After officials reviewed the play, the Bears ended up settling for a field goal instead of what looked like a sure touchdown. The Steelers wouldn’t have lasted until overtime without that play.
Receiver Antonio Brown was steady for an offense that was inconsistent all afternoon. He posted 10 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown to keep his team in the game.
Goats: The Steelers’ front seven had a hard time containing Howard and the Bears’ ground game. The NFL’s second-leading rusher a year ago sliced and diced his way to 138 yards on 23 carries, which propped up a Chicago offense that struggled to get anything going in the passing game with quarterback Mike Glennon. The Bears were especially effective on the final drive. Backup Tarik Cohen had a 36-yard run that would have gone for a touchdown if he didn’t step out of bounds, and Howard had an 18-yard run immediately before his 19-yard run to win the game. The Steelers’ pass rush has shown a lot of improvement so far this year, but teams will be able to stay in games against the Steelers regardless if they can’t consistently stop the run.
Le’Veon Bell mostly quiet again: The running back did score his first touchdown of the season in the third quarter, but he wasn’t much of a factor otherwise, gaining just 61 yards on 15 carries. He did manage to break some tackles and rack up a fair amount of yards after contact, but the explosiveness that helped him become the highest paid running back in the league continues to elude him.
Missing connections: Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger struggled to get a consistent rhythm going with his receivers not named “Brown.” Martavis Bryant and JuJu Smith-Schuster posted some big gains, but had just two receptions each. Overall, Roethlisberger completed just 10 of his 25 passes to receivers other than Brown, a big part of the reason the offense’s production was inconsistent.
Next: The Steelers face the Ravens for the first time this season. They’ll travel to Baltimore for a 1 p.m. kickoff next week.
Adam Bittner: abittner@post-gazette.com and Twitter, @fugimaster24.
First Published: September 24, 2017, 8:38 p.m.