The Chicago Bears reached 8-3 with another heart-stopping victory on Sunday. This time it didn't involve a late comeback. There was a new twist. Chicago built a 31-21 lead in the 4th quarter before another defensive snafu allowed the Pittsburgh Steelers to close the gap with a touchdown. Chicago's offense needed a few first downs to end it, but Kyle Monangai slipped on the turf during a pivotal play, resulting in a three-and-out. A defense that was down seven starters at that point somehow needed a stop.
Pittsburgh quickly drove to midfield. They still had a minute left. However, some quick incompletions set up 4th and 6. This was the game. Mason Rudolph fired to his left, but Jaquan Brisker got a hand on it to force the incompletion. Game over. Chicago escaped once again. The loss sent the Steelers to 6-5 and in serious danger of coughing up their divisional lead to the surging Baltimore Ravens. Needless to say, Pittsburgh fans aren't handling it well. Their reactions to the loss were varied and colorful.
The Chicago Bears seem to have this effect on every fanbase.
They win the game, and everybody acts like it's the end of the world. That is likely because the Chicago Bears have been a bad team for a long time. This is the first time they've been on the cusp of a winning record since 2018. They were 5-12 last year and one of the worst teams in football. When you've been an established, successful franchise like Pittsburgh for this long, losses like this can make you question everything. That is especially true when your opponent was missing half their defense and their top two left tackles.
Steelers fans shouldn't feel bad. They aren't the first ones to have this reaction. Cowboys fans did the same thing in September. Things seemed to work out fine for them as Dallas makes a late surge for the division. With luck, Pittsburgh won't even remember this loss a month from now. Chicago will take their "lucky" win and file it with the seven others.
