Steelers Defense a Potential Bears Night

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The Pittsburgh Steelers saw the game film of Justin Fields looking like Barry Sanders on his 22-yard touchdown run and the 15-yard gain with a spin move by faking Fred Warner out of his shoes.They probably yawned.After all, the Steelers have had to defend the most dangerous running quarterback of all time for four seasons. They've bottled up Lamar Jackson pretty well.The Steelers haven't allowed a run longer than 14 yards by Jackson but the also benefited by not facing Jackson once due to COVID-19 and another time due to injury. They haven't played the Steelers this year yet and in Jackson's first season he wasn't the starter yet when the Steelers played the Ravens.So it's actually a limited number of appearances. Still, considering how Jackson had looked like Gale Sayers or Sanders against many opponents, the Steelers have done quite well to hold him to 162 total yards Pittsburgh Steelers Jersey  on 39 rushes. He had 14 runs for 70 yards in a start and 16 for 65 in another start.When he hasn't hurt them running, they definitely had his number as a pa ser at 33 of 57 for 381 yards, three TDs and five interceptions. That's a pa ser rating of 59.17Mike Tomlin's defense has done what's required to confuse and bottle up Jackson. They should have an idea how to do the same with Fields in his seventh NFL start.There are other problem matchups in this game for the Bears. Because the Ravens know how to defend a quarterback like Fields, it's going to be imperative the Bears hold their own or even win in these matchups that look like difficult a signments.Here are the toughest matchups for the Bears Joe Greene Jersey  besides their young quarterback against Pittsburgh's defense.Scroll to ContinueBears RT Larry Borom vs. Steelers OLB T.J. WattBorom got to face Nick Bosa last week as the 49ers moved him just to match him up with the rookie and it wasn't a terrible starting debut for Borom, although they got a sack against him that wasn't really his fault as much as Alex Bars' or the scheme's. Watt is 6-foot-4, 252 and it's obvious the best way Borom can battle him is by quickly getting his hands on him and driving him. He has a 70-plus pound weight advantage. The longer this matchup is out in space, the worse off Borom is and Fields is. However, Borom needs to make sure to take the inside track away because Fields is quick enough to take avantage of a pa s  Arthur Moats Jersey blocker who gets too far outside or well behind him. Watt has 8 1/2 sacks and 15 quarterback hits this year. This will make four of the top five edge rushers in the league according to Pro Football Focus faced by the Bears. They handled Maxx Crosby, couldn't handle Myles Garrett at all, and last week were so-so against Bosa.Bears LG Cody Whitehair vs. Steelers DT Cameron Heyward Heyward is a very active defensive lineman with 40 tackles already, and could record a career high. He has been to the Steelers what a healthy Akiem Hicks has been to the Bears defensive line, an interior disruptor but plays on the right side and can be in either three-technique or head-up on the guard. Pro Football Focus rates him the No. 1 interior defender this year (91.7 grade), ahead of even Aaron Donald. At 6-5, 295, Heyward might be susceptible to a ma sive guard but Whitehair's strengths are more technique and quickne s than size. Another thing Heyward has been able to do in the way they're using him in Pittsburgh's scheme this year is get inside at the center if he's matched head-up on the guard rather than the outside shoulder as a three-technique. Sam Mustipher hasn't been an overwhelming  Alejandro Villanueva Jersey presence, grading out by PFF as the 36th best center among 39 they graded, with a 48.7. Bears ILB Alec Ogletree vs. Steelers RB Najee HarrisSome have looked at Harris' 128 attempts for 479 yards and no runs longer than 20 yards and called him a disappointment. They need to keep looking at  Lynn Swann Jersey the stat line. He is also their second-leading receiver with 37 catches for 7.4 yards a reception and two touchdowns. For the Bears to cover Harris with Ogletree or backup Danny Trevathan would be a huge mismatch but there isn't a good deal they can do to prevent this when they are in zone. Plus, the fact the Steelers use their tight ends in the pa sing game so well might occupy both their inside linebackers and slot cornerback Duke Shelley. Ogletree had a decent start to his first season with the Bears but has since dropped off in pa s coverage with 83% completions allowed (15 of 18) when targeted and a pa ser rating of 127.1. He has three pa s defenses and PFF grades him last among 83 linebackers it has graded this year in the league with a 28.8. He is second from the last in pa s coverage at 31.2.