The Chicago Bears might be entering one of the toughest matchups on their schedule all season as they are back to face off against the 6-4 Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 12.
There are certainly questions about whether Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will play with his wrist injury, but the Bears have bigger problems to handle. On the other side is a defense among the toughest in the NFL.
Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle was asked about which part of the Steelers' defense is going to pose as the biggest headache for young quarterback Caleb Williams. Doyle, without hesitation, had his eyes on what was going on off the edges.
“The speed off the edge is the biggest thing. … They can get to the top of that pocket pretty quickly.”
Steelers' pass rushers are legit, and the Bears should be worried
There's no question that Pittsburgh's defense is among the best in the NFL, even if the yards allowed are among the highest in the NFL. Bears fans should understand that one better than anyone, as they have a similar situation with their defense.
The Steelers are currently ranked third in the NFL with 33 sacks this season. A big reason for that is that their top pass rushers, Nick Herbig and T.J. Watt, have combined for 12.5 sacks this season.
This presents a significant problem for the Bears' offensive line, which has shown significant improvement this season. Last year, they allowed an NFL-high 68 sacks. Through 10 games, they have allowed just 16 sacks.
Bears fans will have to focus on the matchups that are going on at the tackle positions with Theo Benedet at left tackle and Darnell Wright on the right.
Pro Football Focus shows that Wright might have a better time in pass protection, as his pass block grade is at 72.6, which is 27th out of 76 offensive tackles. As for Benedet, he has a pass block grade of 57.6, ranking 60th out of 76 tackles in the NFL.
If there is a matchup that can make or break this game, it's going to be off the edges. That means more of Williams using his legs to give himself more time to make a decision on whether to pass it, run it, or throw it away.
Read more: Bears' latest Week 12 injury report takes wild twist with Jaylon Johnson update
If the Bears can't handle the Steelers' pass rush, this game could end up being a long, long day for Chicago.