The Chicago Bears have been rolling with three consecutive victories that have allowed them to claim first place in the NFC North. However, their schedule is about to ramp up in difficult, beginning with their Week 12 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Bears will get a chance to compete against the first-place team in the AFC North and also take on rival quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The former Packers legend tormented the Bears when he was in Green Bay, but the Bears will have a chance to turn things around against Rodgers if he is able to play after injuring his left wrist last week.
The Bears (7-3) are slight 2.5-point favorites in the game, largely because they have demonstrated the ability to play well when the game is on the line in the fourth quarter. The combination of first-year head coach Ben Johnson and second-year quarterback Caleb Williams is working out quite well. Johnson is a demanding and knowledgeable mentor, while Williams is a willing student who is demonstrating that he can learn from past mistakes.
The coach and quarterback don't represent X-factors for the Bears — they are primary factors. However, the Chicago running attack could make a key difference in this game.
Rookie running back Kyle Monangai will not back down
The Bears want to control the pace of the game and maintain control of the ball. That is especially important when playing against a dangerous quarterback like Rodgers. He may not be as prolific as he was during his prime with the Packers, but he has always had success against the Bears and he has done particularly well when the games have been at Soldier Field. Rodgers has led his team to a 24-5 record throughout his career when competing against the Bears.
Johnson wants to see a balanced offensive effort against a vulnerable Steelers defense. The Bears have a productive running game with D'Andre Swift and rookie Kyle Monangai.
Swift is the team's leading rusher with 634 yards on 134 carries. He has a 4.7 yards per carry average and he has scored 4 touchdowns. Monangai has done an impressive job whenever Johnson calls on him to show off his running ability. He has rushed for 413 yards on 87 carries, giving him the same 4.7 yards per carry mark as Swift. Monangai has scored 3 touchdowns and he also has 10 receptions for 97 yards.
Monangai runs with a sense of urgency when asked to attack between the tackles. While he is not a big man at 5-8 and 211 pounds, he is compact and powerful. He will often deliver the first blow and send a linebacker or defensive back reeling after he makes contact.
The Steelers have the 28th-ranked defense in the league this season as they are allowing 368.1 yards per game. As a result, they will be vulnerable to the Bears attack, and Monangai may have a chance for a big game. The Steelers' defense first priority will be to stop Williams from making big plays, and then concentrate on slowing down Swift.
They may not pay much attention to the hard-running Monangai and they could pay a stiff price for it.
Bears rookie receivers could also become X-factors
Williams has a powerful arm, and when he has good protection from his offensive line, he can fire 35-40-yard darts with more velocity than some of the most accomplished quarterbacks in the league. He has improved in his second season, but there are still issues with his accuracy and consistency.
He has a pair of established receivers that he throws to on a regular basis in Rome Odunze and DJ Moore. Odunze is the team's leading receiver with 39 receptions for 600 yards and 6 touchdowns while Moore has caught 31-421-1.
In addition to those two mainstays, the Bears have a pair of rookie pass catchers who could turn out to be X-factors in this game.
Tight end Colston Loveland caught the game-winning 58-yard TD pass against the Bengals in Week 9 and he has contributed 24-329-2.
Wideout Luther Burden was a second-round draft choice out of Missouri. He does not get a lot of publicty, but he can make tough catches. If the Steelers are not looking out for him, he could cause a huge problem. His numbers are not overwhelming, but he has skills. Burden ahs caught 19-249-1 and it is clear the Bears believe in him.
Three rookies in Monangai, Loveland and Burden represent X-factors for the Bears, and it would not be a surprise if one or more of them have solid performances against the Steelers.
