Steelers Team Profile:

Record: (7-5) – 2nd place in the AFC South, 2 games behind Cincinnati.

Points for:

Pittsburgh – 274 (22.8)

Da Bears – 201 (16.8)

Points Against:

Pittsburgh – 225 (18.8)

Da Bears – 127 (10.6)

Offensive Ranking:

Pittsburgh – 20

Da Bears – 28

Defensive Ranking:

Pittsburgh – 10

Da Bears – 1

Last Meeting: Bears lost 17-12 in Pittsburgh on September 13th, 1998 (Kordell Stewart, of all people, threw a TD pass for the Steelers in the game)

The Skinny:

The Steelers are a wounded beast, literally and figuratively. Figuratively speaking, the team is coming off of a crushing loss to the Bengals that put them 2 games down in the race for their division. At 7-5, the Steelers have to win and win now to stay in the playoff race in the talented AFC. It may sound cliché, but the Steelers are facing a must win situation against the Bears.

Literally, Ben Roethlisberger’s thumb injury has been affecting his zip and accuracy with the football, and Jerome Bettis’ knee injury has made him less effective in the short yardage situations that he is famous for. Scoring points does not come as easily to this offense when these key parts of the machine are not at 100%. Roethlisberger’s ability to grip and control the ball in the December air of Hines Field will be a key factor in this game.

The Steelers have a strong, attacking defense that plays a Bears style of football; however, when Ben Roethlisberger is healthy, they also have a multi dimensional offensive attack that makes them one of the most balanced teams in the league. Along with Bettis, Willie Parker (788 yards) and Duce Staley compose a deep, bruising backfield, and Hines Ward (9 TDs) is of the most complete receivers in the game. Rookie TE Heath Miller (6 TDs) is also a dangerous red zone threat that the Bears will need to be aware of.

The Plan:

Once again, it will be more of the same for the Chicago Bears. Though Kyle Orton vowed to have a better game in Pittsburgh (what does that mean, 100 passing yards?), the Bears will need to get the tough yards on the ground from Thomas Jones and Adrian Peterson to win on Sunday. With Rex Grossman officially named as the teams’ #2 QB, it will be interesting to see how Lovie reacts if Orton struggles to move the football yet again.

The defense will need to capitalize on the mistakes Big Ben will make due his thumb injury, just like Cincinnati did a week ago. Another big play on defense is in the cards for the Chicago Bears.

The Prediction:

I would love to come out and say Da Bears 112, Steelers 3 like the Super Fan that I am, but I don’t know. Despite the Steelers injuries, this game will be the toughest test yet in the Bears current winning streak.

I believe that the Bears defense will either score a TD or create a turnover that leads to an easy touchdown on Sunday. That being said, I also believe that the Steelers will do the same. The Bears are ripe for a let down. In the Steelers, the Bears are facing a tough team in their house that needs to win. Many people picked the Steelers as a preseason Super Bowl contender, and now their backs are against the wall. The Bears are starting a struggling rookie QB, who now faces intensified pressure with the return of Grossman.

This Sunday, Bears fans will find out how much stronger the AFC is than the NFC. Our defense will keep us in the game, but in the end, I just don’t see us having enough offense to stay with the Steelers on the road.

I hope I am wrong, but my prediction for Sunday: Steelers 17 – Bears 13