Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin Explains Lack Of Big Plays In Bears Loss

The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to the Chicago Bears on Sunday by a final score of 31-28, marking their fourth loss in their last six games. The skid has dropped them to second place in the AFC North and currently outside the AFC playoff picture. One of the major talking points from the matchup centered around the quarterback situation. Mason Rudolph drew the start after Aaron Rodgers was declared inactive due to a wrist injury, but his performance didn’t inspire much confidence from fans or coaches. Particularly when it came to chunk plays from the offense, or the lack thereof.

Rudolph threw for 171 yards on Sunday, completing 24 of 31 pass attempts. Of those 171 yards, 116 came after the catch. The longest pass play of the day was a 21-yard pass to Ben Skowronek. In other words, the Steelers didn't throw the ball down the field much.

During his weekly press conference, Head Coach Mike Tomlin was asked about the lack of deep passes from his quarterback against Chicago.

"I thought the deep ball has always been an asset of Mason Rudolph's game, but it wasn't necessarily so last Sunday, Tomlin said. "We had some plays to be made down the grass that we didn't take advantage of. Second play of the game, we left a ball a little bit short versus DK [Metcalf]. We had Roman [Wilson] down the grass and the ball sailed out of bounds."

Whether it was the play-calling, the coaching staff's lack of trust in Rudolph, or just good defense by the Bears, the Steelers' offense was simply unexciting.

On top of the deep-ball issues, Rudolph barely used the middle of the field. He only threw there twice the entire afternoon. One of those passes fell incomplete, and the other was a touchdown to Pat Freiermuth. To make the situation even more frustrating is the fact that Chicago came into the game incredibly banged up. The Bears were missing all three of their starting linebackers, plus multiple defensive backs. It’s hard not to wonder why the middle was basically ignored, especially since it’s an area where Freiermuth usually thrives, and where Chicago was missing it's biggest pieces. 

"Maybe. Again, it's week to week, depending on the schematics that the teams that we compete against choose to deploy," Tomlin said about using more of the middle of the field on offense. "But certainly if you look at the large body of work, there's probably some more opportunities for us in the interior portions of the field."

After a solid outing in Week 11 when he came in against the Cincinnati Bengals for an injured Rodgers, it felt as if Rudolph showed that he was capable of leading the team to victory when called upon. Throughout his entire tenure in Pittsburgh, he's been a reliable backup, leading the Steelers to an 8-4-1 overall record prior to the matchup with the Bears.

Steelers Hope To Have Aaron Rodgers Back In Week 13

After missing his first game of the season, Tomlin and the Steelers expect to have Rodgers back for the team’s Week 13 matchup at home against the Buffalo Bills. One could argue that Pittsburgh might’ve left Chicago with a win if Rodgers had been available, but that debate doesn’t change the stakes. Now the Steelers find themselves in a must-win position with one of the top teams in the AFC coming to town.

Rodgers’ return hopefully provides a much-needed spark for the Steelers' offense, who will be facing a Buffalo defense who has had their fair share of struggles this season. The Bills have allowed the third-most total yards per game, and the nineth-most passing yards per game so far in 2025. 

With just six games left to go in the regular season, the Steelers need to rediscover the energy and momentum that guided them in early parts of the season. With the division title and playoff hopes on the line, the team will look to Rodgers for a hopeful late-season run.

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