MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: CHICAGO BEARS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS

BY ADAM GREENE

Here’s a fun fact: Monday Night Football games can be flexed now. So it’s a mystery as to why we are looking here, in Week 9, at a match up between the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL’s former crown jewel broadcast.

Now, granted, there wasn’t a ton to choose from and Sunday Night Football already nabbed the Tennessee Titans at Los Angeles Rams, but you’re telling me a Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals wouldn’t have worked here? Or how about Jordan Love making his first start for the Green Bay Packers against the Kansas City Chiefs? That would have been consecutive MNF games for the Chiefs, though, and maybe there’s some kind of rule about that. I refuse to look it up.

Either way, this is what we get. The Bears and Steelers have met up 27 times since 1934 and Chicago holds a shocking 19-7-1 advantage in the all time series. They last faced off in 2017 with the Bears winning 23-17 in overtime. It was the third straight Chicago win in the “rivalry,” with Mike Glennon tossing all of 101 yards in the victory. I’m sure Pittsburgh burned this tape somewhere. Jordan Howard ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns.

CHICAGO BEARS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (-6.5, O/U: 38.5)

Location: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Broadcast: ESPN

Kickoff: Nov. 8 8:15 p.m.

CHICAGO BEARS (3-5)

Here’s the good news, with the NFC being so top heavy, those sixth and seventh playoff seeds are likely going to be up for grabs all year so the Bears are far from out of it. Matt Nagy missed his chance to steal a win while everyone called for his head by missing last week’s 33-22 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers on the league’s COVID-19 list. Justin Fields made some highlight plays in the loss, going 19 of 27 for 175 yards, a touchdown and a pick. He rushed 10 times for 103 yards and a score. Chicago’s defense did nothing of note unless you call laying down and letting the 49ers do whatever they want something. In which case, they deserve a gold star.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS (4-3)

The Steelers are right back in the AFC mix after picking up their third straight win with a gritty 15-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns in which Ben Roethlisberger reclaimed his FirstEnergy Stadium belt from Baker Mayfield. Roethlisberger finished 22 of 34 for 266 yards and a touchdown. Najee Harris rushed 26 times for 91 yards and a score. Diontae Johnson caught six passes for 98 yards. Pittsburgh’s defense sacked Baker Mayfield five times and held Cleveland to just 96 yards on the ground. They also made Odell Beckham Jr.’s dad really mad in the process.

THE PICK

Chicago has lost three straight and I have a feeling this will be four. They might make a contest of it for a while. I don’t hate on Nagy the way others do, but this is looking more like a lost season by the day. Steelers 27, Bears 20

Last week

Straight up: 5-10

Against the spread: 5-10

Season

Straight up: 76-46

Against the spread: 63-59

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