CHICAGO – No Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Noah Sewell or Theo Benedet? No problem.

It helped to face Pittsburgh Steelers backup quarterback Mason Rudolph instead of Aaron Rodgers.

The Bears‘ shorthanded defense held Rudolph to 171 yards on 24-of-31 passing. Cornerback Nahshon Wright made a miraculous leaping interception on Rudolph’s first passing attempt of the game. Montez Sweat stripped the Steelers’ QB in the third quarter. Both turnovers led to touchdown-scoring drives for the Bears’ offense.

Tyrique Stevenson (hip) and Dominique Robinson (concussion) also exited the game with injuries and did not return.

Caleb Williams and the Bears’ offense did their job, too.

Williams finished 19-for-35 passing for 235 yards and three touchdowns. He was sacked just once, despite Theo Benedet being ruled inactive before the game.

DJ Moore added 64 yards on five receptions, including two touchdown receptions. Entering the game, he had just one touchdown this season. Moore eclipsed 8,000 career receiving yards during the third quarter.

Tune into the CHGO Bears Postgame!

Adam Hoge

That was one of the gutsier Chicago Bears wins I can remember. With an extremely depleted defense — that only got more depleted as the game went on — the Bears dug deep in the second half and found a way to win. Caleb Williams struggled in the first half, but had a huge third quarter. And Dennis Allen’s defense came up with the stops when needed. Credit to Montez Sweat for putting his banged up defense on his back.

Mark Carman

Find a way! These are the 2025 Chicago Bears who got Air Brisker at the end to deflect a Mason Rudolph last gasp. Caleb Williams was up and down, as were the Bears, but in the end, they made the plays once again to win it. 8-3. Playoff talk must be had.

Patrick Norton

Playoffs?! Playoffs?! The Bears will enjoy a lead in the NFC North through Thanksgiving with a gutsy win against a tough Steelers team. Nothing that the Steelers did necessarily popped, but they lingered thanks to a ridiculous injury report.

Now the Bears have a quick turnaround before heading to Philadelphia to face the Eagles on Friday. Hopefully, they’ll have some reinforcements.

Adam Jahns

The Steelers didn’t have Aaron Rodgers but the Bears didn’t have what felt like everyone. The Bears won with linebacker D’Marco Jackson, cornerback Nick McCloud and more, while quarterback Caleb Williams thoroughly outplayed Pittsburgh QB Mason Rudolph. Defensive end Montez Sweat was one the best players in the game with two sacks, including one for a fumble. He received a game ball from coach Ben Johnson.