Pittsburgh Steelers ground out to Chicago Bears
The Pittsburgh Steelers came in heavy road favorites against the 0-2 Chicago Bears. However, it was the Bears getting their first win as they trumped the Steelers in overtime 23-17.
Pittsburgh Steelers ground out to Chicago Bears
The Steelers have been in the spot of losing to inferior opponents on the road before. However, it was unknown how a possible upset could come against this Chicago Bears team.
It took an inspired effort by Jordan Howard, who put up 138 yards on 23 carries. He had two touchdowns as well, one to win the game. Howard played through an AC joint sprain and had to be helped off of the field by trainers twice before toting the game-winning carry.
On top of Howard, Tarik Cohen ran the ball 12 times for 79 yards, and Mike Glennon even added four carries for five yards. Together, the Steelers were outrun 222 to 70 on the ground.
While Howard looked impressive in every aspect of running, the defense definitely deserves some blame as well. A team that was missing Stephon Tuitt for the second straight week finally saw it catch up to them. Gap discipline was a huge issue, and Howard and was getting clear lanes once he got to the second level.
Another issue was that the Bears held onto the clock for 43 minutes, compared to just 27 by the Steelers. The Steelers were unable to establish their run game and were quickly scooting off of the field after a few failed attempts.
Right tackle Marcus Gilbert was out for this game and left guard Ramon Foster left early into the first quarter. The line looked disjointed, and the Bears were able to take advantage of their three-man front.
It is safe to say that this game was won in the trenches and the Bears took the victory in that regard on offense and defense. The Steelers will have to bounce back quickly as they have a division foe, and a tough defensive line in the Baltimore Ravens next week.
