How the Bears’ defense plans to counter the Steelers offense in Week 9

When the Pittsburgh Steelers play a team like the Chicago Bears, an NFC North division team, there is not a lot of familiarity surrounding the matchup.

Sure, fans know the big name players from their opponent, but a lot can change from one year to the next.

With that said, I reached out to Windy City Gridiron contributor Patti Curl and asked him a series of questions about the upcoming game. He was more than generous to provide answers to these questions, and in this article I asked him what the Bears’ plan to counter the Steelers defense in Week 9 will be.

How will a defense without Khalil Mack try and stop the Steelers offense?

Check out his answer below, and be sure to follow Windy City Gridiron for the latest news and notes from the other side of the fence leading up to the game at 1:00 p.m. ET.

When the Steelers have the ball, how will the Bears defense try to slow them down?

I’m curious to see what they do. Their strength has been pass-rush, and I’m sure they’ll continue to rush 4+ and throw in some stunts, but I’m curious if they make adjustments for the fact that Roethlisberger has been the fastest QB to get rid of the ball this season, so there’s a limit to the benefit you can get from a rush. They may keep enough pressure that he keeps throwing fast, but drop more into coverage, maybe see if they can pull one over on the old man.

It might seem like a broken record, but the Steelers’ approach on offense in this game shouldn’t be any different than what it has been for other games this season. Run the football, protect the ball and make key conversions when they are presented. If the Steelers can get Najee Harris going, it will only help take pressure off Ben Roethlisberger and allow the team to exploit the Bears in a variety of ways.

Talking about Harris and Roethlisberger are commonplace with the Steelers fan base, but who wins this matchup between the Bears’ defense and the Steelers’ offense will come down to one unit — the offensive line. While the unit is improving by leaps and bounds, a lot of question marks still reside, and if this unit can put together their best performance of the season it might just result in a huge prime time win over Chicago.

How do you see this game shaking out? Let us know in the comment section below, and be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black and gold as they prepare for the upcoming Week 9 game.