Chicago Bears: 3 Winners from Week 9 vs. Steelers

The Chicago Bears fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a heartbreaker on Monday Night Football, but there were a lot of good signs in this game of what the future might look like, especially on the offensive side of the ball. If it were not for a defensive meltdown on the last drive, the Bears would have left Pittsburgh feeling super great about their effort. Unfortunately, they came up just short, and all we can do is pick out some winners after a tough loss.

Although the loss hurts, the Chicago Bears showed a glimpse of what the team could be.

Week 9 Winner No. 1: Justin Fields

While it was not a perfect game for Justin Fields, he seems to be building on his recent success and gave another super-strong effort in Monday’s matchup against a strong Steeler defense. It was a slow start, and the first half saw the Bears put up only three points, with the offense struggling to find consistent first down yardage.

As the game went on, Bill Lazor made some excellent play calls trying to expose the Steelers’ week secondary, which the Bears could do. Justin Fields seemed to be throwing most of his passes for at least 15 yards per play in the second half and had some big hitters to Marquise Goodwin, Jimmy Graham, and Allen Robinson.

Fields missed a couple of deep open shots, but both were with pressure in his face. He showed poise and seemed to be calmer as the game went on. After a horrific first half, we saw a new side to the rookie who took charge and looked sharp as the Bears attempted and successfully came back to take the lead late in the fourth.

This offense can be something if the Bears can bring in a coach/play-caller that can consistently call plays to get guys open and use Fields to his strengths. There are playmakers on this team, and when Fields has enough time to hit receivers when they get open, you see how dynamic he can be. The dual-threat he provides makes defenses uneasy about committing to man coverage, and you saw how he was able to pick apart the zone defense the Steelers ran for most of the second half.

After a slow start, Justin Fields reminded Bears fans why we all hyped him up so much. He is the real deal and is starting to show it against some good defenses. It is only a matter of time and if the coaching staff can be functional next year.