Marc Trestman and the Chicago Bears couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season. After passing an early season road test, the Bears now sit at 3-0 and looked sharp in their 40 – 23 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Bears jumped on the Steelers early and surrendered the lead.
Robbie Gould got the scoring started early as he connected from 47 yards on the opening drive. The Bears would then get touchdown runs from Matt Forte and Michael Bush later in the quarter to hold a 17-0 lead going into the second quarter.
Getting Michael Bush more involved seemed to be part of the game plan for the Bears and it worked. Bush was used at the goal line and short yardage situations. He had been quiet in the first two games of the season.
Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery became involved early and often in the game. On the Bears first drive, Jay Cutler targeted Jeffery five times in a row. Jeffery finished with 7 receptions for 52 yards on the game. The Bears have been trying to get Jeffery more involved in the offense to give them a threat opposite of receiver Brandon Marshall.
The Steelers didn’t help their own cause by turning the ball over 5 times. The Bears capitalized by scoring 21 points off of turnovers. Included in those 21 points was a Major Wright 38-yard interception return for a touchdown. Chicago dominated defensively and had the answer when they needed it.
Defensive end Julius Peppers sealed the game with a 42-yard fumble recovery for the touchdown. It’s the second straight week the Bears defense returned a turnover for a touchdown. Something they did eight times last season.
After seeing the Steelers pull to within four at 27-23 after a Shaun Suisham 44-yard field goal, Jay Cutler led the Bears on another magnificent fourth-quarter drive that resulted in a 17-yard touchdown pass to Earl Bennett.
While both sides of the ball struggled at times, the Bears saw both their offense and defense make plays when they needed to in the fourth-quarter. They will now ride this 3-0 start into Detroit next weekend to take on the Lions (2-1) in an early NFC North match-up.
Notes: Bears defensive tackle Henry Melton was carted off the field in the second-half after a knee injury. Melton will get an MRI to determine the injury. If he’s lost for the season, the Bears will turn to Nate Collins to fill the void left by Melton.
Bears DT Henry Melton’s injury is hugely concerning because their defensive line has been underperforming and the hope was that Melton would soon begin to play at last year’s Pro-Bowl level. So what now? Bears defensive coach, Mel Tucker, will need to get creative. Perhaps, move Julius Peppers inside for many more plays where his strength and height can disrupt QBs from stepping up in the pocket. Stand-up DE Shea McClellin and use him on 3rd down blitz situations from the LB position. McClellin is ineffective against the run and Tucker needs to find a way to get some value from Phil Emery’s first draft pick as GM. Give rookie Cornelious Washington some snaps to see if he can contribute on passing downs. Washington is an explosive athlete with a great first step, but he’s primarily a bull rusher with limited moves. Suit up free-agent pickup David Bass and see if he can provide some much needed pass rush. Finally, if the Cleveland Browns are truly looking for more draft choices call them TODAY and inquire about their nose tackle Phil Taylor. Taylor was rumored to be on the trading block earlier this year. The Browns have excellent depth at the defensive line, although a couple of their linemen are hurt.