Week 9 of the NFL season ends on Monday night with two teams hoping to stay in second place in their respective divisions. At 4-3, the Pittsburgh Steelers are two games behind Baltimore in the win column but would fall to last in the AFC North with a loss. Meanwhile, the 3-5 Chicago Bears can move into sole possession of second place with a win and pick up a game on Green Bay, who lost on Sunday.
Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. ET at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, and the game will be televised on ESPN. These teams don’t meet often, with Chicago winning the most recent game 23-17 in 2017. Overall the Bears have a 19-7-1 lead in their history against the Steelers, including three straight wins in Pittsburgh.
Fields Learning on the Job
The Bears are 3-5 against the spread so far this season, and they lost as favorites last week at home against San Francisco. The Bears’ offense ranks fifth in the NFL, but they are 32nd in passing, 31st in scoring, and 32nd overall. The defense ranks 11th against the pass, 25th against the rush, and 20th overall.
Rookie quarterback Justin Fields has had his ups and downs so far this season in six starts. Last week was one of his better games with 175 passing yards and 103 rushing yards with a touchdown. Overall he has completed 59 percent of his passes with three touchdowns, seven interceptions, and 26 sacks.
Running back Khalil Herbert has 344 rushing yards in the last four games, filling in for injured David Montgomery. Montgomery should be back on Monday night, and the Bears will need to split their carries. Fields has 243 yards, third on the team behind Herbert (351) and Montgomery (309).
Wideout Darnell Mooney leads the team with 33 catches and 409 yards, while Allen Robinson has 44 catches for 271 yards. Both Mooney and Robinson have touchdown catches, the only wide receivers on the team to find the end zone in 2021.
Steelers Hang Their Hat on Defense
The Steelers are 3-4 against the spread so far this season, and they covered as underdogs last week with a 15-10 win over Cleveland. The Steelers offense ranks 16th in passing, 28th in rushing, and 28th overall. The defense has been much better, ranking 11th overall, 12th against the run, and 13th against the pass.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has 1,781 passing yards on the season with a 65 percent completion rate. He has eight touchdowns and four interceptions while being sacked 14 times.
Rookie running back Najee Harris was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month in October with 480 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns. No other Steelers player has more than 40 rushing yards on the season.
Wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster is out with a shoulder injury, and Dontae Johnson has stepped up as the top target. He has 40 catches for 474 yards on the season with three touchdowns. Chase Claypool has 26 catches for 403 yards and three touchdowns, while both Harris and tight end Pat Freiermuth have two touchdown catches.
Linebacker T.J. Watt has had at least one sack in five of his six games, and he ranks third in the NFL with 8.5 sacks. The defense had ten games with multiple turnovers last season but have yet to accomplish that feat in 2021.
Betting Analysis
- Chicago Bears +6.5 (-110) Money line +230
- Pittsburgh Steelers -6.5 (-105) Money line -290
- Total Points: 40 points. Over -110, Under -110
The Steelers are 27-5 all-time at home on Monday Night Football with 19 straight wins. The Bears will be without All-Pro linebacker Khalil Mack on Monday and likely without top safety Eddie Jackson as well. They have struggled against the run all season, and the Steelers will likely look to feed Harris and beat Chicago at smashmouth football.
Betting Pick: Under 40 points
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