PITTSBURGH — The Bears suffered an exasperating loss Monday after taking a late lead against the Steelers before falling 29-27 on Chris Boswell’s 40-yard field goal with 26 seconds left.
The Bears’ focus will be on rookie quarterback Justin Fields’ touchdown pass to receiver Darnell Mooney that put them ahead 27-26 with 1:46 left and the ensuing defensive failure that cost them the game, but there were other details worth examining:
Pass-rush resurgence
While it wasn’t quite the performance they needed to win, the Bears’ defense looked much better against the Steelers than it had the previous few games. After failing to get a single hit on Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo, the defense sacked Ben Roethlisberger four times.
Graham returns
Veteran tight end Jimmy Graham returned after missing two games and had an up-and-down night. He caught a 28-yard pass to start the fourth quarter and set up a touchdown in which running back David Montgomery handed the ball to Mooney from the wildcat formation, but he was unable to finish a would-be touchdown catch against good coverage by Joe Haden and had another nullified by penalty.
Robinson’s best
The lack of chemistry between Fields and star receiver Allen Robinson had been an issue, but they seemed to click Monday. Robinson caught four of the six passes Fields threw him and put up a season-high 68 yards.
