Monday Night Football: Bears at Steelers Betting Preview

The Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers both hang their hats on solid defense, which has made up for their offensive woes this season. Here, the experienced Ben Roethlisberger leads the Steelers into battle against a Bears team led by Justin Fields in his first primetime start as a pro.

In this matchup, the team that can find a spark on the offensive side of the ball should have a huge edge, as scoring should be at a premium.

Chicago Bears

Last week, the Chicago Bears lost at home to the San Francisco 49ers, with the Bears defense letting them down in that game. Chicago allowed over 300 passing yards to Jimmy Garoppolo and 137 rushing yards to Elijah Mitchell in their 33-22 loss to the Niners.

This week, the Bears will not be able to afford another defensive lapse, as the Steelers’ defense will make scoring a challenge for Justin Fields and the Chicago offense.

This season, the Chicago Bears rank last in the NFL in yards per play, as they have had a hard time moving the football all season long. Against a Steelers team that can get after the quarterback early and often, the Bears could be in for another long day offensively.

To avoid putting Justin Fields in harm’s way, Chicago will need to exhibit a level of offensive creativity that they haven’t shown much of this season.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers got a big win last week, beating the Cleveland Browns on the road as an underdog in Week Eight. Pittsburgh’s defense was the story of that game, as they held the Browns to just 10 points in their own building.

And Pittsburgh got that win over the Browns without access to their kicker for much of the second half, after Chris Boswell suffered a concussion on a fake field goal attempt during the game.

This week, the Steelers should have either Boswell or practice squad kicker Josh Lambo available to them. More importantly, they will still have their defense available for this game at home against the Bears.

Pittsburgh hasn’t given up more than 20 points in a game during their recent three-game winning streak and could very well keep the Bears under that number during this matchup.

Keys to the Game

Chicago’s major key to this game is going to be whether or not they can generate any offense. While their statistical output has been dismal this season, the Steelers have played a close game against the Geno Smith led Seahawks a couple of games ago.

If Smith is capable of moving the ball against this defense, it is at least possible that Fields can as well, but he will need to execute at a high level to get it done.

For the Steelers, protecting the quarterback is their top key to this game. Khalil Mack could very well be back for the Bears this week after the Chicago defense struggled without him against the 49ers.

Pittsburgh must keep Mack and the rest of the Chicago pass rush off of Ben Roethlisberger if they are going to avoid the upset to Chicago at home.