The Magnificent 7

Seven players who made the biggest impact in the Bears' 31-28 victory over the Steelers on. Sunday.

1. Caleb Williams

For better or worse, Williams figured in five of the eight touchdowns scored in the game. He threw three touchdown passes for the Bears — five and 25 yards to DJ Moore and 12 yards to tight end Colston Loveland — and almost literally handed a touchdown to the Steelers when he lost the ball on a sack in the end zone, with linebacker Nate Herbig recovering for a touchdown. Williams completed 19 of 35 passes (54.0%) for 239 passes and no interceptions for a 104.3 passer rating. But his inaccuracy and near-misses on an early deflection and Kyle Dugger's dropped interception were reminders that he's still a step away from being a step away.

2. Montez Sweat

Sweat continued his post-bye rejuvenation with two sacks, including one that arguably cleared the path for victory. With the Bears leading 24-21, the Steelers were were driving to take the lead when Sweat and linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga dropped Jaylen Warren for a two-yard loss, then sacked Mason Rudolph and forced a fumble and recovered the fumble at the Bears 46-yard line (after Gervon Dexter committed the cardinal sin of trying to pick up the ball in a crowd and let it slip away). It led to a nine-play, 54-yard touchdown drive that gave the Bears a 31-21 lead early in the fourth quarter — just enough to win.

3. DJ Moore

His impact overall has diminished as the Bears' star has risen with the additions of Rome Odunze, Loveland and Luther Burden, but Moore's value can't be overlooked. He had five receptions for 64 yards and two touchdowns — a five-yard scoring reception that gave the Bears a 7-0 lead and a 25-yard score that gave the Bears a 24-21 lead in the third quarter. Moore still managed to get caught in another "DJ Moore Occurrence" when he drew a taunting penalty when he purposefully flipped the ball to cornerback James Pierre after a five-yard reception. But two plays later he was left wide open for the 25-yard touchdown.

4. T.J. Watt

Even in a 7-7 game early in the second quarter, it looked like the Bears were in control of their destiny until Watt went into game-wrecker mode to give the Steelers a sudden 14-7 lead. On first down from the Bears 20, Watt drew a holding penalty on Bears right tackle Darnell Wright — Wright's first holding penalty in eight games. On second-and-20 from the Bears 10, Watt beat Wright cleanly to get a hold of Williams and force a panic-fumble that Herbig recovered for a touchdown. It was a jolt to the Bears, who had another giveaway on the next possession when D'Andre Swift fumbled. But the Steelers' offense couldn't take advantage.

5. Nahshon Wright

The 6-4 cornerback continued his stellar season in place of Jaylon Johnson, from Mason Rudolph's first pass to his last. Wright made a spectacular interception on Rudolph's first pass, leading in front of DK Metcalf for a jump ball — and somehow managing to get two feet (a foot and a knee, actually) down. Wright had another chance for an interception on third-and-10 in the third quarter but couldn't make the grab. And he was in position for a pass break-up in front of Metcalf near the left sideline on Rudolph's fourth-down pass in the final 30 seconds. But safety Jaquan Brisker deflected the pass at the line of scrimmage to clinch it.

6. Kenneth Gainwell

It seemed odd that the Steelers would try another tush push with tight end Connor Heyward taking the snap after Heyward was stymied on their previous possession — and they did not. Instead, they fooled the Bears with Heyward handing off to Gainwell, who cut outside for 55 yards to the 1-yard line with 1:23 left in the first half. Jaylen Warren scored on the next play to give the Steelers a 21-14 lead. A year earlier, the Cardinals Emari Demercado stunned the Bears in similar fashion with a 53-yard touchdown run with four seconds left in the half and the Bears went into free fall. This time the Bears recovered, and won. It's a new era, indeed.

7. D'Marco Jackson

Shades of Jamar Williams and Brian Iwuh filling in for Lance Briggs back in the day. With a team-high 15 tackles in a fill-in role — including a tackle-for-loss that forced a Steelers three-and-out punt in the third quarter — Jackson was the leader of a group of reserves who Did. Their. Job. and let regulars Sweat, Brisker, Nahshon Wright and Grady Jarrett make key plays. On that three-and-out in the third quarter, the Bears' front six included Austin Booker, Chris Williams, Jarrett and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Jackson and Amen Ogbongbemiga, who actually was a fill-in for rookie fill-in starter Ruben Hyppolite and had 14 tackles.

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