The Bears (7-3) will seek their fourth straight win and eighth in their last nine games Sunday when they host the Steelers (6-4) in a clash of division leaders at Soldier Field.

After a loss to the Ravens snapped their four-game winning streak, the Bears have rallied to win three straight games that they trailed in the final 2:00. They have accomplished that feat five times this year, tied for the most such victories in a season since the NFL/AFL merger in 1970 with the 2011 Broncos and 2016 Lions.

The Steelers are 2-3 since a 4-1 start but are coming off their most lopsided win of the season last weekend, a 34-12 victory over the Bengals in Pittsburgh.

Sunday's game could be decided by turnovers. The Bears lead the NFL with 22 takeaways, generating 21 in their seven wins and one in their three losses. The Steelers are tied for second with 18 takeaways, producing 16 in their six victories and two in their four defeats. The Bears are 6-0 this year when forcing multiple turnovers.

Both teams pride themselves on playing with physicality.

"That's what this game's going to be on both sides of the ball—really all three phases," said coach Ben Johnson. "That's what they are. That's what we believe we are as well. We're going to have to be able to counter that."

When the Bears have the ball

Caleb Williams quarterbacks a Bears offense that ranks eighth in the NFL in points per game (25.8) and fourth in total yards (373.8), second rushing (146.6) and 13th passing (227.2). The unit entered Week 12 having produced a league-high 82 explosive plays, which include runs of at least 10 yards and passes of 20-plus yards.

This year, Williams has thrown for 2,329 yards with 13 touchdowns, four interceptions and an 89.9 passer rating and has rushed for 272 yards and three TDs on 52 carries. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft has been sacked only 16 times in 10 games after taking 68 sacks in 17 starts last year as a rookie.

"I see improvement, and that's what excites you about any player," Johnson said. "You're either getting better or you're getting worse, and I see a guy that is getting significantly better every week whether the stats look that way or not. From a coach's lens, we feel it. His approach is very sound with what he's doing right now.

"Day-in and day-out, it's very difficult to be consistent in this league with how you go about your business, and yet I think he's done a really nice job of taking a lot of information and being able to apply it in a short amount of time. That's the starting point to him with me. I think we're going to continue to see him play faster, play with anticipation the more he gets reps with these particular plays, the ones that we feature the most. I am very pleased right now with where he's at."

Williams has been at his best late in close games, engineering winning scoring drives in five of his last seven starts and six of his last 11 outings dating back to last year's season finale in Green Bay.

His top target has been second-year receiver Rome Odunze, who has 39 receptions and is one of six NFL receivers with at least 600 yards and six TDs.

Williams has passed for eight TDs with no interceptions against the blitz and hopes to continue that success against a Steelers defense that blitzes at the sixth highest rate in the NFL at 33.2%. Interestingly, the unit ranks third in the league with 33 sacks but is last in passing yards allowed per game (261.7).

Pittsburgh's defense is led by edge rushers T.J. Watt (6.0 sacks), Alex Highsmith (5.5) and Nick Herbig (6.5).

"They've got some werewolves on the outside," Johnson said. "They have some of the best first steps you'll see in this league. When you have both sides that you're concerned about, that's where you've got to be pretty creative as a play designer to make sure that they don't affect the game in a negative fashion."

The Bears could counteract Pittsburgh's pass rush by running the ball. They have produced at least 140 yards on the ground in three straight and five of their last six games after not reaching the 140-yard mark in any of their first four contests. Since Week 6, the Bears lead the NFL in total yards (404.3) and rushing yards (176.2) per game.

"I kind of thought there would be some growing pains, and there were," Johnson said. "It takes a while for some guys to gel up front. You're asking a few of them to do some things they maybe haven't done quite that way before. [Line coaches] Dan Roushar, Kyle DeVan, I keep bringing their names up. They're really the driving force behind it. It's not sexy when you watch their individual periods. But it's constant over and over and over again; how are we going to fit these players, the pads. You keep doing it, you buy in and you start seeing the success come from it. It has been a huge part of what we're doing right now."

D'Andre Swift leads the Bears in rushing with 634 yards and four TDs on 134 carries, while seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai is fifth among NFL rookie runners with 413 yards and three TDs on 87 attempts.

Key matchup: Bears right tackle Darnell Wright vs. Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt

Wright is in the midst of his best season since being selected by the Bears with the 10th pick in the 2023 draft out of Tennessee. On Sunday, he'll be challenged by one of the NFL's premier pass rushers in Watt, who has been voted to the Pro Bowl in each of his first seven pro seasons. Watt tied Michael Strahan's single-season NFL record with 22.5 sacks in 2021 and is the second fastest player to reach 100 sacks behind only Hall of Famer Reggie White.

"T.J. Watt is slippery," said offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. "He plays with high effort … and he gets the football out. That's really the biggest thing about their defense, is the takeaways that show up. He's a guy that you have to account for on every snap."

When the Steelers have the ball

It's unclear who will start at quarterback for Pittsburgh. Longtime Bears nemesis Aaron Rodgers is listed as questionable on the injury report after being limited in practice Friday due to a fracture in his left wrist he sustained last Sunday in a win over the Bengals. Asked about Rodgers' availability, Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said Friday, "We'll see where the weekend leads us."

This season, Rodgers has completed 66.7% of his passes for 1,969 yards with 19 TDs, seven interceptions and a 97.7 passer rating that is his highest since he posted a 111.9 rating with the Packers in 2021.

"He's still doing it at a very high level," said safety Kevin Byard III. "His arm talent obviously is still there. He's so smart, he knows where to go with the ball on every single snap. And it's funny because even though he's in Year 21, he's still doing a really good job of escaping the pocket. It's hard to really sack him."

If Rodgers is unable to play, the Steelers would start Mason Rudolph.

Rudolph is in his second stint with the Steelers. He spent his first four NFL seasons with them, played for the Titans last year and returned to Pittsburgh in 2025. He has appeared in 32 games with 18 starts, completing 64.1% of his passes for 4,754 yards with 29 TDs, 20 interceptions and an 85.5 passer rating.

Playing the second half of last Sunday's win over the Bengals in place of Rodgers, Rudolph connected on 12 of 16 passes for 127 yards and one TD.

"He's a bigger, strong-armed quarterback," said defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. "He pushes the ball down the field pretty consistently, so we're going to have to make sure we keep a roof on the coverage and stay on top of everything."

The Bears will play Sunday's game without their top three linebackers. Tremaine Edmunds (groin), T.J. Edwards (hand/hamstring) and Noah Sewell (elbow) have all been ruled out of the contest with injuries.

DK Metcalf leads the Steelers in receiving with 37 catches for 551 yards and five TDs. A two-time Pro Bowler in six seasons with the Seahawks, the speedy 6-4, 229-pounder is in his first year with the Steelers.

"I see a big, physical receiver," Allen said. "I see a guy that's really good in contested catch situations. I see a guy that is really good in catch-and-run type situations. He's a tough tackle, so we have to be able to manage that physicality that he plays with."

Pittsburgh also boasts a talented tight end trio comprised of Pat Freiermuth (23 catches for 279 yards and 3 TDs), Jonnu Smith (26-163-2) and Darnell Washington (18-209-1).

Jaylen Warren tops the Steelers in rushing with 536 yards and 2 TDs on 123 carries, while Kenneth Gainwell is one of six NFL running backs with at least 30 receptions and two receiving touchdowns.

"When you watch how they play offense, it's very similar to our offense," Byard said. "They want to run the ball. I've got a ton of respect for those running backs, Jaylen Warren and Kenny Gainwell. They run very hard."

Key matchup: Bears defensive end Montez Sweat vs. Steelers right tackle Troy Fautanu

Sweat had his streak of consecutive games with a sack snapped at four last Sunday in Minnesota but still leads the Bears with 5.5 sacks. He'll look to add to that total Sunday against Fautanu, who was drafted by the Steelers in 2024 with the 20th pick in the first round out of Washington. Fautanu has started each of Pittsburgh's first 10 games after a knee injury limited him to one contest as a rookie.

Fun facts

• The Bears are 12-1 all-time against the Steelers at home, winning the first 10 meetings and the last two. Their only home loss to Pittsburgh came in 1995.

• The Bears are 3-1 against the Steelers since Mike Tomlin became their coach in 2007, tied for the best winning percentage with the Saints, who are also 3-1.

• The father of Steelers receiver DK Metcalf, Terrence Metcalf, was a guard who was selected by the Bears in the third round of the 2002 draft and appeared in 84 games with 25 starts over seven seasons in Chicago.

• Since 1950, Williams is the second youngest NFL quarterback to engineer three straight four-quarter comebacks behind only the Titans' Vince Young in 2006.

• The Bears lead the NFL with a plus-16 turnover differential, their best ratio after 10 games in a season since they were plus-18 in 1990.

• The Bears have allowed fewer than 21 points in each of their last two games, the first time they've done that in back-to-back contests this season. The Steelers have scored at least 21 points in seven of their last eight games.