The Bears didn't need a thrilling last-minute comeback for the fourth straight game, but they still staged an impressive rally Sunday at Soldier Field.

Trailing the Steelers 21-14 late in the second quarter, the Bears scored 17 unanswered points to take a 31-21 fourth-period lead and hung on for a 31-28 victory.

Caleb Williams threw three touchdown passes and the injury-depleted defense generated two takeaways that the offense converted into 14 points. In recording their fourth straight win and eighth in nine games, the Bears (8-3) remained in first place in the NFC North ahead of the Packers (7-3-1) and Lions (7-4), both of whom also won Sunday.

"Really proud of the guys," said coach Ben Johnson. "Thought they did a phenomenal job just responding. We were decimated in certain areas. The easy thing is to say, 'Woe is me,' and our guys didn't do that. They just stepped up and kept battling through. It happens to most teams each season, too, where your depth gets tested, and it just so happens it was this week for us."

Six regulars on the Bears defense were out due to injuries: End Dayo Odeyingbo (Achilles); linebackers Tremaine Edmunds (groin), T.J. Edwards (hand/hamstring) and Noah Sewell; and cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson (groin) and Kyler Gordon (calf).

Three more defensive players exited the game with injuries: cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (hip), linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II (shoulder) and end Dominique Robinson (concussion).

Relying on backups such as linebackers D'Marco Jackson and Amen Ogbongbemiga and cornerback Nick McCloud, the defense in the second half allowed only seven points and 134 total yards, produced a momentum-swinging takeaway via a Montez Sweat strip sack and clinched the win with a fourth-down stop in the final minute.

"That's the type of guys that we have, the caliber of people that we have," Johnson said. "They just keep fighting and keep plugging away. I can't say enough good things about the guys that stepped up today to help us win the ballgame."

Protecting a 24-21 lead late in the third quarter, Sweat registered his second sack of the game, forcing and recovering a Mason Rudolph fumble at the Chicago 46.

The offense capitalized with a 9-play, 54-yard drive that was capped by Kyle Monangai's 2-yard touchdown run, giving the Bears a two-score lead at 31-21.

After allowing the Steelers to close the gap to 31-28 on Rudolph's 3-yard TD pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth with 6:27 to play, the defense stopped Pittsburgh on its final two possessions. The second came on fourth-and-6 from the Chicago 47 when Rudolph's pass was deflected by blitzing safety Jaquan Brisker and fell incomplete with :17 left, securing the victory.

Williams completed 19 of 35 passes for 239 yards with three TDs, no interceptions and a 104.3 passer rating. He also rushed for 21 yards on four carries. The only sack he took came when Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt dropped Williams in the end zone, forcing a fumble that outside linebacker Nick Herbo recovered for a TD.

Herbo's score gave Pittsburgh a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter and came just :46 after DK Metcalf's 6-yard TD run capped a 13-play, 95-yard drive.

DJ Moore caught five passes for 64 yards and two TDs, a 5-yarder in the first quarter and a 25-yarder midway through the third period that put the Bears ahead 24-21.

"Having one of our star guys get going, it only builds momentum for us as a team," Williams said. "It was good to see that. It was good to get him in the end zone a couple times. I know he's been wanting that."

Moore's first TD came after Nahshon Wright had made a sensational leaping interception for the second straight week, energizing his teammates.

"The whole sideline kind of ignited," Johnson said. "[It] gave us a spark, and the offense was able to capitalize on that and score our first touchdown of the game. It's good to see that complementary football, and we're going to need more of that here going forward."

The Steelers generated a second straight takeaway in the second quarter as defensive end Yahya Black forced and recovered a D'Andre Swift fumble at the Pittsburgh 48.

But the Bears defense stopped tight end Connor Heyward short of the line to gain on a fourth-and-1 tush push, turning the ball over on downs at the Chicago 30.

Williams followed with a 12-yard TD strike to Colston Loveland, tying the game 14-14 with 3:56 left in the first half. The 11-play, 70-yard drive was sustained by Williams' 8-yard run on fourth-and-1 from the Chicago 39 and was highlighted by his 22-yard pass to Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III's 15-yard run on a double reverse.

The Steelers took a 21-14 lead on Jaylen Warren's 1-yard TD run with 1:19 to play in the first half. The touchdown came one snap after Gainwell's 55-yard run. On fourth-and-1 from the Pittsburgh 34, the Steelers set up in a tush push formation. Heyward took the snap and handed off to Gainwell, who raced around right end.

The Bears responded with 17 unanswered points, beginning with Cairo Santos' 47-yard field goal as time expired in the first half, closing the gap to 21-17.

Second half TDs by Moore and Monangai followed, and the depleted defense finished with a flourish, precipitating yet another joyous locker room gathering.

"Everybody was dancing and having fun, going around shaking hands and celebrating and congratulating each other and showing appreciation to each other because it takes all of us," Williams said. "That's something that we said in the locker room: it takes a village. We had guys step up and step up big for us today. You never get tired of these types of wins."