In a lot of ways, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense put together a strong effort on the road against the Chicago Bears. T.J. Watt and company held the league’s No. 2 run offense to 99 yards and forced two takeaways. One of those turnovers resulted in a touchdown recovery.
But one problem still plagued the Steelers defense.
The Bears went 7-for-13 on third down. It was the sixth time in the past seven games that an opponent converted at least six third downs against the Steelers defense.
Watt addressed that issue in front of reporters after the team’s Week 12 loss in Chicago.
“A lot of second-and-longs that I can remember that either turned into third-and-shorts and were converted or were converted from second-and-long,” Watt told the media. “Same story, man. Gotta get off the field.”
Entering Week 12, the Steelers defense had allowed the third-most third-down conversions in the NFL this season. At 41.7%, the team also came into Sunday ranked 25th in third-down conversion rate allowed.
Chicago converted 53.8% of its third downs in Week 12. The Bears were also 1-for-1 on fourth down.
Steelers Defense Struggling on Third Down
Head coach Mike Tomlin often talks about the possession downs. The Steelers offense has improved a little bit on third down after a rough couple weeks in October.
But the defense has continued to be just average on stopping third downs.
From Weeks 8-11, the Steelers never allowed an opponent to convert more than half of their third downs. But the Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals all extended drives in some instances. It resulted in more plays and time of possession against the Steelers defense.
Against the Packers and Chargers, the Pittsburgh defense eventually wore down in losses.
The opposite actually happened Sunday in Chicago. The Steelers offense controlled possession for much of the fourth quarter. That helped the Steelers defense post a couple three-and-outs in the final stanza.
But it wasn’t enough. The Bears converted seven of their first 11 third-down tries on their way to scoring 31 points.
T.J. Watt Creates Splash Play in Losing Effort
Watt hasn’t had as many game-changing plays in 2025 as past years. Early in the second quarter Sunday, though, Watt created pressure on Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.
The Steelers edge rusher knocked the ball out in the end zone. Fellow edge rusher Nick Herbig recovered the fumble for a touchdown.
The play gave the Steelers a 14-7 lead. Pittsburgh recorded another takeaway in the second quarter. But the offense couldn’t take advantage of that opportunity.
The Steelers failed to take a two-possession lead, and with a stalled offense in the third quarter, the Bears used their third-down conversion rate to go ahead by 10.
Chicago recorded 328 offensive yards, including 229 passing yards. While not overly impressive totals for the Steelers defense, the Bears were under their offensive average for the season.
But Chicago’s third-down conversion rate was higher than the offense has posted this season. Williams and the Bears offense on third down was a big reason why they were able to overcome Watt’s forced fumble and the other turnover.
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