In order for the Bears defense to be successful Sunday against the Steelers, they needed two things: A "next man up" mentality, and its proven playmakers to make plays.

The unit, which coach Ben Johnson described as "decimated" by injuries, had its depth tested. The defense went into the game without all three starting linebackers and early in the contest, lost linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson to injuries. Despite that adversity, Dennis Allen's defense saw its leaders make impact plays and unheralded backups step up when called upon, which resulted in the two game balls Johnson handed out after the victory going to pass rusher Montez Sweat and linebacker D'Marco Jackson.

In defensive tackle Grady Jarrett's eyes, it was Sweat who delivered the game-changing play. While the teams traded scores in the first half, Sweat denied the Steelers the opportunity to regain the lead late in the third quarter after the Bears went ahead 24-21 on DJ Moore's second touchdown of the game, a 25-yard pass from Caleb Williams.

On second-and-12 from the 37, Sweat rushed off the left edge, pushed through Steelers tight end Darnell Washington and spun quarterback Mason Rudolph around for his second sack of the game. But just before Rudolph hit the ground, Sweat forced the ball loose and seconds later, recovered his own forced fumble.

"I think it was a great effort play," Jarrett said. "Not only get the sack, but to keep playing and get the recovery. Definitely was a momentum changer, and it couldn't happen to somebody better, somebody who's been working his tail off not only during training camp and into the season, but through the whole offseason program, and you can see that work coming to fruition."

The strip sack marked Sweat's second sack of the day, previously dropping Rudolph for a 4-yard loss early in the third quarter. He now leads the Bears with 7.5 sacks, including 6.5 in the past six weeks — the most in any 6-game span of his career.

"With all the injuries we had today, our top players stepped up and played their behinds off," safety Kevin Byard III said, "so just super happy that these past few weeks, [Sweat] has been playing like the star we know he is. He played phenomenal today."

Johnson also acknowledged the surge in Sweat's play, adding: "he's been heating up since the bye week … you just feel it each week," and rewarded that efficiency by awarding Sweat his first-ever game ball.

"It's just a full circle moment," Sweat told ChicagoBears.com. "I just want to make plays for this team, and just want to do whatever I can do to keep these boys rolling and win. I want to make those types of plays, so it feels good to get recognized."

The other game ball went to Jackson for not only filling in as the starting middle linebacker and relaying defensive play calls, but also leading the Bears with a career-high 15 tackles.

Jackson, a fourth-year pro who was drafted by the Saints in 2022 — Allen's first year as the head coach in New Orleans — also made his first career start Sunday. He described getting acknowledged by Johnson in the locker room as a "special moment," one he was most proud to share with his "LB brothers," teammates and coaches.

"It wasn't just me out there," Jackson said. "This whole week has been people pouring into each other. Coach was talking about emptying your cup, giving everything you've got. In the linebacker room, it was from the coaches to the players, helping out one another, next man up mentality. So, it was a special moment just to see the reward of that accomplishment."

Jackson said every linebacker stepped up throughout the week to ensure everyone was equally prepared. He credited both Tremaine Edmunds — who was placed on injured reserve Saturday — and T.J. Edwards for their efforts, despite neither veteran being on the field Sunday.

"They didn't check out," Jackson said. "They didn't check out with trying to help one another. Every single day, it was like, 'hey, man, you need to watch extra film?' and they didn't mind staying back extra. They didn't mind coming in early. Even on the sidelines, they're right there in my ear telling me what they see, what they see out of me and how I could play it. So they were just a huge support mentally for me out there."

While Hyppolite started the game at weakside linebacker, he injured his shoulder near the end of the first quarter, which meant Amen Ogbongbemiga would have to play the remaining three quarters alongside Jackson.

Ogbongbemiga missed the Bears' first eight games after being placed on injured reserve with a knee injury before the start of the regular season. The five-year veteran, who mainly saw time on special teams while appearing in all 17 games last season, became emotional when discussing his opportunity Sunday.

"Honestly, I've been through so much this year, injuries and stuff," Ogbongbemiga said. "I've never really been hurt in my career, so this one meant a lot. Going into the week, I didn't get many reps. As a competitor, that bothers me because I know what I'm capable of. Sometimes you've just got to believe in yourself. Just keep believing in yourself. So, that's what I did – stayed locked in and just gave it my all. I was staying prepared. I know how the games goes, anything can happen, so I prepared like I was a starter.

"It's just a blessing. Shoutout to everyone that stuck by me … I missed eight games this year and that's never happened to me. So it was just humbling, and I'm just blessed."

Ogbongbemiga was right behind Jackson on the stat sheet with 14 tackles. The pair was flying all over the field against Pittsburgh and helped limit the Steelers to just one score and 134 total yards in the second half.

"We all came into this, we've got to hold the rope, man," Ogbongbemiga said. "Hold up the standard. T.J., Tremaine, Noah [Sewell], they've set a high standard. We wanted it to be like there was no drop off. We gave it our all, we prepared like no other. It was countless hours. Shout out to Coach Kev (assistant linebackers coach Kevin Koch) giving us whatever we needed. It paid off in a huge way."

The Bears also relied on a pair of playmakers in the secondary during Sunday's victory: cornerback Nahshon Wright and safety Jaquan Brisker.

Wright continued to build on his career year by intercepting Rudolph on the Steelers' first possession, which led to the Bears' first touchdown. On Rudolph's deep ball down the left sideline intended for receiver DK Metcalf, Wright had inside leverage and made a spectacular leaping grab and impressive toe tap to secure his fifth interception of the season, which tied him with Byard for the league lead.

"[Wright] means a lot to the team," Brisker said. "When he first got here, he was a tall, lengthy corner and he was making plays during OTAs, during camp. So, to be honest, it's no shock, but for him to put it on display on game day is really amazing. He just keeps making play after play, and it's great for him, great for this team."

The Bears also remain atop the NFL with 24 takeaways and 16 interceptions this season, becoming the first NFL team to have at least 24 takeaways through their first 11 games since the 2019 Patriots.

It was Brisker, the Pittsburgh native, who delivered the game-sealing play against his hometown team. On fourth-and-6 from the Chicago 52 with 21 seconds remaining, Rudolph dropped back and attempted a pass to Metcalf, but the ball died well short of its target after Brisker jumped high in the air to knock it down.

"I just saw the lineman slide to the right," Brisker said, "so I knew I wouldn't be able to make it to the quarterback. So, as soon as he let it go ... I got my hand up, tipped the ball and [it was] game over."

The all-around defensive performance speaks to the tight-knit culture the group has built as well as the top-notch preparation provided by Allen and his staff. Jarrett, who is in his 11th NFL season, said Sunday was a testament to "the culmination of work we put in together."

Still, he believes there's more to come.

"It feels good," Jarrett said. "We can't rest on this, but I can say this: it's been a minute since your boy won eight. But that doesn't mean that the work is done. The work is just getting started. I think all this goes back to the work we put in in the offseason up to this point, and just the grind, the belief, the effort guys are putting in day in and day out.

"It's nothing that happened overnight. And I think we're hungry for more."