In 1991, the weekly show Saturday Night Live debuted a sketch called “Bill Swerski Superfans.” The premise of the sketch was a group of Chicagoans led by Joe Mantegna and joining him were Chris Farley, Mike Myers, Robert Smigel and George Wendt. Their names in the sketch, in order of the actors just listed, were Bill Swerski, Todd O’Connor, Pat Arnold, Carl Wollarski and Bob Swerski.
The hilarious skit introduced the world to the name of the Chicago Bears as “Da Bears.”
With this, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be in Chicago for Week 12 of the season to face the Da Bears. Here we have a meeting between two of the oldest franchises in the National Football League. Additionally, the original owners were two of the most respected in league history. George Halas had the Bears and Art Rooney Sr. the Steelers. These two teams have legendary histories and both are among the top five players inducted into the Canton, Ohio Hall of Fame.
The Steelers have had 32 players awarded a gold jacket while the Bears have the most players in the room with 39. The Dallas Cowboys are third with 32, and behind Chicago are the Green Bay Packers with 34. Aside from those busts in Canton, both of these franchises have incredible runs. For the Steelers, this team will be remembered as the dynasty they created in the 1970s when they won four Super Bowls in six years.
As for the Bears, two things stand out. Their 1940 NFL championship stands out to this day and holds the record for the worst loss in a championship title game by eliminating the Washington Redskins 73-0. Of course, before the Da Bears won the Super Bowl in 1986, several players made a video to raise money for charity, known as the “Super Bowl Shuffle.”
Week 12 pits these two teams on the field in Chicago, their first meeting since 2021 when the Steelers beat the Bears by two, 29-27 in Pittsburgh. In that game, Pittsburgh had a 20-6 lead going into the final quarter, but Chicago came back strong and got within three points at 23-20 and after a Chris Boswell field goal, the Bears took the lead on a touchdown pass ironically from former Steeler Justin Fields, but with just 2 seconds left, Boswell connected again on a game-winner from 40 yards out.
This latest Steelers victory ended a three-game losing streak against Chicago that began in 2009 with two more meetings in 2005 and 2009. With the first meeting in 1934, a year after Pittsburgh joined the NFL in a game won by the Bears 28-0, these two teams have met 28 times and the Bears have won 19 of those games with a tie. From 1934 to 1958, when Pittsburgh finally beat the Bears, Chicago had won 10 straight. The only time Pittsburgh won more than one game in a row was in 1975, when the Steelers won again in 1980. Then, from 1995 to 2005, Pittsburgh won three games in a row.
Out of 28 games played, the most points Pittsburgh ever put on the scoreboard was 41 in 1967, when they beat the Bears 41-13. If you’ve never seen the movie “Brian’s Song,” that game included the late Brian Piccolo as well as Hall of Famer Gayle Sayers. The Steelers held both running backs in check as Sayers carried the ball just seven times and rushed for just two yards. Piccolo did a little better with 12 yards on three carries.
Willie Asbury for the Steelers rushed for 107 yards in this game and scored twice while through the air, Bill Nelson passed for 223 yards and threw two touchdown passes. The Steelers have scored over 30 three times in winning games. In contrast, the Bears have shut out the Steelers four times, with the last goose egg coming in 1989 in a 20-0 loss. Pittsburgh has never excluded Chicago.
As for the Da Bears, they crushed the Steelers in 1947 49-7, then scored exactly 40 in a 40-23 victory in 2013. Chicago has gone over 30 when facing the Steelers six times, all in their win column except for the game played in 1995 where Pittsburgh won 37-34. We now have the last meeting which will take place on November 23.
When the Steelers have the ball
As of this writing, it remains unclear whether Aaron Rodgers is the starting quarterback or if he continues to nurse his injured wrist, and Mason Rudolph gets the start. The Bears are allowing 231.3 passing yards per game and 133.3 rushing yards. Expect the Steelers to start with the run and go from there. Whether it’s Rodgers or Rudolph, the Steelers will attack through the air. However, the RPO worked well for Pittsburgh against the Bengals, so expect more of the same.
When the Bears have the ball
The Bears have been looking for a franchise-type quarterback since the days of Sid Luckman. They haven’t found this man yet. Caleb Williams could be him. There was a huge amount of hype about Williams when he entered the league, and he might finally live up to it. Having had their best year yet, the Bears made changes starting with a new head coach. This seems to make a difference as Chicago is now 7-3.
As for Williams, he’s thrown just four interceptions, sacked just 16 times, and has a running game led by D’Andre Swift and his 634 rushing yards thus far. Behind him is Kyle Monangai with another 413 yards. Both players average 4.7 yards per carry. Chicago has dangerous receivers in Rome Odunze and DJ Moore who have 1,021 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. This total is the same for Monangai and Swift. However, I think Pittsburgh is up to the task of defending itself.
Intangible assets
Now it’s time for the Bears to prove their record is no fluke against a tough Steelers team. Bears fans are rabid, but Pittsburgh has been on the road in tough situations before and escaped unscathed. Aaron Rodgers wants nothing more than to play, especially given his history against Chicago when he was a Packer. The Steelers need to carry the momentum from their stellar defensive performance from a week earlier.
Prediction
If Aaron Rodgers can’t play with his injured wrist, Mason Rudolph has already proven he can get the job done on offense. Pittsburgh’s defense is playing more consistently now, and the surprising 7-3 Bears have won three in a row. The Steelers have proven they can be a very good road team and I like their chances here. Steelers 23 Bears 17.
