Bears stay on NFC North perch, beat Aaron Rodgers-less Steelers

Caleb Williams passed for 239 yards and three touchdowns and Kyle Monangai rushed for a score to lift the surging Chicago Bears to a 31-28 victory against the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

NFC North-leading Chicago (8-3) stretched its winning streak to four, with each victory coming by one score.

The Bears withstood a late rally from the Steelers (6-5), who fell into a tie with Baltimore atop the AFC North.

The Bears took a 24-21 lead with 2:47 remaining in the third quarter on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Williams to D.J. Moore. Monangai's 2-yard rushing TD with 14:14 left in the game stretched the lead to 31-21.

Pittsburgh drew to within 31-28 on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Mason Rudolph to Pat Freiermuth with 6:27 remaining. The Steelers forced a three-and-out on the Bears' next two possessions.

With 21 seconds to go, Rudolph's fourth-and-6 pass from the Bears' 47 was batted down at the line of scrimmage to seal the result.

Rudolph started in place of Aaron Rodgers, who was unable to play with a left wrist fracture that forced him from last week's win against Cincinnati. He finished 24-of-31 for 171 yards with a touchdown and interception. Kenneth Gainwell gained 92 yards on 10 carries and Jaylen Warren and DK Metcalf rushed for scores.

Moore led the Bears with five receptions for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Monangai rushed 12 times for 48 yards.

Nahshon Wright intercepted Rudolph's first pass of the game near midfield. Chicago embarked on an eight-play touchdown drive capped by a 5-yard scoring pass from Williams to Moore.

Pittsburgh answered with a 13-play, 95-yard touchdown drive that took 7:58 off the clock. Rudolph tossed a swing pass behind him to Metcalf, who navigated his way into the end zone.

T.J. Watt later chased Williams into his end zone and strip-sacked the quarterback, with linebacker Nick Herbig falling on the loose ball for a defensive touchdown.

Facing a fourth-and-1 at their own 44, the Steelers ran a fake tush push that turned into a 55-yard Gainwell run that took the ball to the Bears' 1. Warren rushed for a touchdown on the next play as the Steelers took a 21-14 lead.

Cairo Santos drilled a 47-yard field goal for Chicago as time expired on the second quarter.

Injuries beset the Bears, especially in the linebacking corps and secondary, where the team was missing its top three cornerbacks and top four linebackers. Rookie Ruben Hyppolite II sustained a shoulder injury early in his first career start.

Pittsburgh's Joey Porter Jr. didn't return after sustaining a hip injury.

--Field Level Media