War of attrition is the Bears' biggest battle at this point

The last time the Bears beat Aaron Rodgers — way back in 2018 in Week 15 at Soldier Field — they won the battle but lost the war of attrition. 

Safety Eddie Jackson’s interception of Rodgers in the end zone was a clinching blow, but Jackson suffered an ankle injury on his 13-yard return and never played again that season. He was missed in the Bears’ playoff loss to the Eagles, who won 15-14 when Nick Foles threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate, with backup safety Sherrick McManis defending just past the goal line.

Success in the NFL, especially in the second half of the season, is not just about winning, but surviving. When the Bears face the Steelers — and possibly Rodgers, who is questionable with a broken left wrist — on Sunday at Soldier Field, it will be the seventh of 13 consecutive weeks they will play since their Week 5 bye. And after a survivable first 10 games with manageable injuries, winning the war of attrition is getting more challenging. 

The Bears will play Sunday without their entire starting linebacker corps — Tremaine Edmunds was put on injured reserve with a groin injury and T.J. Edwards (hand/hamstring) and Noah Sewell (elbow) also were ruled out Friday. Rodgers, who relished facing the Bears at their best with Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, will be trying to convince Mike Tomlin to play the Bears no matter who is on the other side. But the prospect of facing a Bears defense with rookie Ruben Hyppolite and special teamers D’Marco Jackson and Amen Ogbongbemiga at linebacker, he might be begging him.

It could turn out that a weakened Bears defense makes it more likely that Tomlin will take his chances with backup Mason Rudolph, who is 9-9-1 with an 82.1 passer rating (25 touchdowns, 19 interceptions) in 19 NFL starts. 

Either way, the Bears’ fate at this point of the season is partially in the hands of the football gods. All-Pro cornerback Jaylon Johnson has played one game this season. Slot cornerback Kyler Gordon has played two. But the Bears have been healthy where they need it most — at quarterback and on the offensive line. 

Caleb Williams will make his 28th consecutive start Sunday — already the third longest starting streak for a Bears quarterback in franchise history, behind Bob Avellini (42 games) and Bill Wade (37). The offensive line combination of Theo Benedet, Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, Jonah Jackson and Darnell Wright has started six consecutive games. It’s not a coincidence the Bears have averaged 176.2 rushing yards since that group was put together over the bye week. 

But there’s the rub. Benedet is out with a quad injury he suffered against the Vikings last week (he missed one snap). Rookie Ozzy Trapilo, who lost the competition for the starting left tackle job to Braxton Jones and lost the back-up role to Benedt, will make his first NFL start at left tackle Sunday against the Steelers. 

With the Ben Johnson Effect in full force this season, maybe this turns out to be the break Trapilo needs — and the second-round draft pick emerges as the left tackle the Bears were looking for when they drafted him. When you’re hot, you’re hot. 

But in the NFL, good fortune is tenuous. With the rival Packers (tight end Tucker Kraft) and Lions (tight end Sam Laporta) losing key players for the season, the Bears have a chance for a rare net gain down the stretch if Johnson and Gordon return and Edmunds and Edwards recover quickly. As was the case against Aaron Rodgers in 2018, it’s not just about winning the battle. 

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