By Dan Wiederer, Kevin Fishbain, Mike DeFabo and Zach Powell

Caleb Williams put together a solid outing on Sunday, throwing for 239 yards and three touchdowns to lead Chicago to a 31-28 win over a Pittsburgh Steelers team playing without Aaron Rodgers.

Williams began the day with a touchdown strike to DJ Moore, who caught two TD passes. On the Bears’ next drive, Williams was strip-sacked by Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt, who earned his 25th career strip-sack and 115th career sack, surpassing his brother J.J. Watt. But after that drive, Williams confidently guided Chicago down the field to help the Bears remain in control.

After trailing 21-17 at the half, Williams found Moore for his third TD pass of the afternoon, and the Bears regained a 24-17 lead in the third quarter. As Chicago’s defense held firm on the Steelers’ next drive, Bears running back Kyle Monangai punched in a rushing TD to give the Bears a 10-point cushion.

Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph, starting in place of Rodgers — who missed Sunday’s game with a fractured left wrist  — then found Kenneth Gainwell for a score on the ensuing drive. The Steelers, however, failed to score again after cutting Chicago’s lead to three points.

After a Bears three-and-out, their defense closed out the win with one final stop on Pittsburgh’s final drive with less than one minute remaining.

Chicago wins with ‘next man up’ mentality

The ‘next man up’ principle seriously came knocking for the Bears. After starting the day without their top three linebackers — Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards and Noah Sewell — the Bears lost rookie linebacker Ruben Hyppolite to a shoulder injury in the first half. With cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon still on injured reserve, the Bears also lost Tyrique Stevenson to a hip injury on Sunday. Imagine the challenge for coordinator Dennis Allen in trying to hold his defense together with as much chicken wire and bubble gum as he could find.

In the takeaway department, cornerback Nahshon Wright recorded his fifth interception of the season in the first quarter, and Montez Sweat contributed a third-quarter strip sack of Rudolph. The Bears turned those pair of Steelers turnovers into touchdowns, then held on for dear life in the closing stages to seal the win. — Dan Wiederer, Bears beat writer

Bears ride the Williams roller coaster

The Bears rode the Williams roller coaster to their fifth win in a row to stay atop the NFC North. He had one of the worst plays of his career when he fumbled in the end zone, giving the Steelers a touchdown. He was only 10-for-21 passing at halftime and had some bad misses through the air. His throwaway on third down stopped the clock with the Steelers on the ropes. He also threw three touchdown passes and helped lead the Bears’ comeback.

When he was accurate, especially in the red zone, he was pinpoint on throws to Moore and tight end Colston Loveland. Williams also was sacked only once against one of the best pass-rushing fronts in the league and without his starting left tackle. Williams still needs to work on his accuracy, especially when the margin of error was slim considering all the players out on defense. This could have been a game the Bears took care of more quickly than their usual late-game drama. The win is what matters most, as we saw Williams at times at his best, and at times some of the plays that still need improvement.

Steelers’ defense regresses

After Watt sacked Williams in the end zone and outside linebacker Nick Herbig recovered for a touchdown, Watt busted out a discount double check celebration in honor of his injured quarterback.

With a broken left wrist preventing Rodgers from playing against his old NFC North nemesis, the Steelers needed the defense and the running game to pick up the slack. Initially, the Steelers’ turnover-reliant defense did the job. In addition to the strip-sack, the defense also forced a second-quarter fumble on the next Bears’ series.

However, as the game unfolded, cracks emerged in the Steelers’ secondary. Williams took advantage of soft zone coverage and used his outstanding mobility to extend plays. It was the fifth game this year that the Steelers have allowed 30 or more points. Moving Jalen Ramsey to safety ahead of Week 9 appeared to solidify the secondary. But that group took a step back on Sunday. — Mike DeFabo, Steelers beat writer

Rudolph’s turnovers prove costly

On Rudolph’s first pass attempt, the backup QB aired the ball out deep to DK Metcalf and was intercepted by Nahshon Wright. Rudolph bounced back in the following series and was a perfect 6-for-6 on a 95-yard touchdown drive.

Throughout the game, the Steelers relied on bully ball, leaning on the running game and heavy personnel groupings. Rudolph moved the ball well enough, utilizing a run-heavy attack and numerous screens.

However, his ball security was again an issue in a critical situation. The Steelers were trailing by 3 points in the third quarter and on the fringe of field-goal range when Rudolph was sacked and fumbled the ball. The Bears recovered and capitalized with a 54-yard scoring drive that extended the lead to two possessions. While Rudolph led a 73-yard touchdown drive on his next possession, his blemishes proved costly.

Rudolph had one last chance to tie the game. Trailing by three with 1:29 remaining, the Steelers got the ball at their own 20-yard line. Rudolph led the Steelers just past midfield, but the drive stalled there.

This game isn’t on Rudolph. As a backup quarterback, 28 points should be enough to remain competitive. However, the turnovers and the poor outing from the defense were too much to overcome. — DeFabo

When will Rodgers return?

Rodgers was a partial participant at practice on Thursday and Friday. However, the Steelers determined he would not be able to play on Sunday.

It begs the question: If Rodgers wasn’t able to play through his broken wrist on Sunday, when will he return? A broken bone takes weeks to fully heal. How much more comfortable will the Steelers feel in seven days? — DeFabo