Steelers visit Bears with Aaron Rodgers' status uncertain because of wrist injury
Steelers visit Bears with Aaron Rodgers' status uncertain because of wrist injury
CHICAGO — Aaron Rodgers once famously turned to the crowd at Soldier Field and screamed that he still owns the Bears. No one would have argued back then.
Rodgers would love a chance to show it's still true, though it's not clear if he'll get the opportunity when the Pittsburgh Steelers visit Chicago on Sunday.
The four-time MVP broke his left wrist in last week's 32-14 win over Cincinnati, throwing his status for what could be his final game against the franchise he has tortured into question.
Rodgers was optimistic but far from certain that he would be able to play through the injury to his nonthrowing hand. It depends on if he feels he can protect himself and handle the ball the way he normally does.
Either way, Rodgers said this week he hopes Bears fans can let “bygones be bygones." And, with a laugh, he added: “Maybe, I can, I guess.”
Rodgers, as he has done in the past, praised Chicago. He mentioned growing up a fan of Michael Jordan and the Bulls and watching Cubs games on WGN.
“They got great sports, man,” he said.
Rodgers is 25-5 against Chicago, counting the playoffs. If he is unavailable, the AFC North-leading Steelers will go with Mason Rudolph. The veteran returned to Pittsburgh for a second stint when he signed a two-year deal in March and came through after Rodgers exited last week. He completed 12 of 16 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown, helping the Steelers win for the second time in three games and keep a tenuous grip on first place ahead of Baltimore.
The NFC North-leading Bears have won seven of eight and lead Green Bay by the slimmest of margins. They have five wins this season after trailing in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, including the past three games.
They squeezed out a 19-17 victory at Minnesota last week when Devin Duvernay returned a kickoff 56 yards to set up a 48-yard field goal by Cairo Santos as time expired. The Vikings had scored a touchdown with 50 seconds remaining.
“I think we feel good with where we’re at,” quarterback Caleb Williams said. “But you also do understand that things can turn. We have a whole season left basically with seven games left. And so, things can still turn fast in those ways.”
The Steelers are well-versed in the problems created by a team whose quarterback likes to move around. They can thank years and years of chasing Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson.
Williams, however, presents a different challenge. Where Jackson typically takes off the second he tucks the ball under his arm, the slippery Williams is more likely to scramble around in the backfield while hoping something develops downfield.
“He’s kind of like a little magician back there, being able to get out of tough jams and got a hell of an arm,” Steelers inside linebacker Patrick Queen said. “So you definitely got to respect the guy. Even with him being young, he’s been playing at a high level.”
The Steelers can try to take solace in this: they’re 5-4 against Jackson, one of the few teams the two-time MVP has a losing record against.
A two-time All-Pro, Bears safety Kevin Byard was no stranger to picking off passes. He just hadn't done it as much as he would have liked the past few seasons.
Byard is making up for it with a league-leading five interceptions after combining for two the previous two years with Tennessee, Philadelphia and Chicago. He had one last year in his first season with the Bears.
“I just think it’s the ,” said Byard, who has 34 interceptions in 10 seasons. “Honestly, even last year. I feel like I dropped two. I felt like I should have had multi-interceptions last year as well.”
With Nahshon Wright and Tremaine Edmunds tied for second with Jacksonville’s Devin Lloyd with four, the Bears have three of the NFL's top four leaders in interceptions.
The Steelers signed running back Jaylen Warren to a modest extension before the season began, and while the former undrafted rookie free agent has been effective with the ball in his hands, he’s also been knocked around a bit.
Enter Kenneth Gainwell. The former Philadelphia Eagle began the season as a complementary piece but has shown a couple of things that Warren has not. He’s been durable, and he’s figured out a way to get to the end zone.
Gainwell had 105 total yards last week against the Bengals and caught two touchdown passes. The Steelers opted to roll with him late even though doctors had cleared Warren to return after tweaking his right knee in the third quarter.
Though Rodgers has dominated Chicago, the Bears have done the same against the Steelers.
They lead the series 22-8-1 and are 14-1 at home, including a pair of wins over the combined 1943 Philadelphia-Pittsburgh and 1944 Chicago Cardinals-Pittsburgh teams. The Steelers’ lone victory in Chicago was in 1995. Pittsburgh’s record against the Bears is the franchise’s worst against any NFL team still in existence.
Sports Writer Will Graves in Pittsburgh contributed to this report. ___
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