Could the Bears Exploit Rodgers’ Decline for a Stunning Upset?

Is it just me, or is the NFL turning into a weekly rollercoaster that leaves you clutching your coffee and questioning everything you thought you knew? Just look at the Chiefs—three straight Super Bowls and still, here we are, wondering if they even make the playoffs this year. Enter today’s showdown: Steelers vs. Bears at 1:00 ET—a clash that’s got my mind doing somersaults. The Steelers, leading the AFC North at 6-4, face the real possibility of playing without Aaron Rodgers, injured and only 50-50 to suit up. Meanwhile, the Bears, those lovable “cardiac Bears,” defy expectations with a 7-3 record and a knack for scraping out wins that feel more like miracles than the result of clean lines and precision plays. Can Chicago pull off an easy win at home, or will the Steelers’ patched-up squad show grit? It’s the kind of game that reminds us why no preseason prophecy is ever set in stone—and why we love every twist and turn. Ready to dig deeper? LEARN MORE

Steelers vs. Bears, 1:00 ET

Week-to-week is the only way that you really can deal with the NFL. If you enter the season and are convinced about teams you’re going to be left behind rather quickly. For example, the Chiefs have been to three straight Super Bowls. If you assumed they would make the playoffs this year, no one could blame you. But, at this point, we have to question it a little bit (or potentially a lot, depending on where you stand). Two teams that I’ve had my mind shift a lot about are the Steelers and Bears, and they run into each other today.

The Steelers are 6-4 and atop the AFC North. They are coming off of a convincing victory over the Bengals, one that gave them a little more breathing room between them and Cincinnati, but they still have Baltimore breathing down their necks. They could’ve coasted to a division title given that Joe Burrow is/was injured, Baltimore was a disaster and Lamar Jackson was injured, and the Browns were never really a threat. Now, the Steelers are facing an injury of their own to their quarterback. Aaron Rodgers may be out of this game due to a wrist injury. As of the time of writing this article, he is just 50-50 to play the game. It should come as no shock to anyone, but if Rodgers plays, the Steelers are substantially better. If he does not, there is some real concern about how effective the team will be. Mason Rudolph played well as his replacement, going 12-for-16 with 127 yards and a touchdown. It does seem like backups are significantly better when they come in for a game rather than after a full week of preparation which makes little sense to me.

The Bears should really be called the cardiac Bears. Somehow the team is leading the division. For the season, the club is 7-3, which is a nice standing. After dropping their first two games, one of which they should’ve won, they have won six of the past seven contests. Their lone loss was to the Ravens, on the road. I like going over the results of teams, and the Bears have an interesting one. They beat Dallas convincingly, then needed a bail out against both the Raiders and Commanders. They won easily against the Saints. Lost to Baltimore, then got incredibly lucky against the Bengals. They came back from a big deficit against the Giants to get a win, and got a last second win over the Vikings. An optimist will tell you that this is a team that doesn’t give up, and find ways to win. A pessimist will tell you that they could just as easily be 2-8. The truth is they need to tighten things up in, but could use an easy win.

This seems like the spot to get an easy win for the Bears. Aaron Rodgers owns the Chicago Bears, but this team does have a bit more excitement around them than some of those bad ones he destroyed. Also, the guy is old and hurt at this point. Rodgers is having a good season, I’m not trying to take anything away from him. I do think the Bears at home is a better bet. I’m seeing it at -3, which is only for home field advantage, but the Steelers may have Rudolph playing, and I think the Bears are good up to -6.

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