It's never a good thing to lose in the NFL. Even teams that are clearly not trying to compete hate the feeling after a tough loss. The Pittsburgh Steelers are feeling that right now after a brutal 31-28 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Add in the reality that the Baltimore Ravens have now officially caught the Steelers in the AFC North race, and it's a tough day to be a fan of the black and gold. Not everything was terrible for Pittsburgh, however, and one development in particular could loom large for the rest of the season.
The Steelers ran for a season-high 186 yards against the Bears, a huge improvement from the 88.2 yards per game they were averaging coming into this week. Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell combined for 28 carries and 160 yards to lead the way. The question now is whether it was just a blip or if they can replicate this success.
The Pittsburgh Steelers must keep their running game going against tougher opponents
To be fair to the Bears in this game, they quite literally almost ran out of linebackers by the end of the game. Their top three linebackers, Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, and Noah Sewell, were ruled out before the contest, and rookie Reuben Hyppolite II left the game early.
The Steelers having a ton of success on the ground under those circumstances isn't a surprise, but 186 yards is an outlier number even for great rushing teams. They dominated Chicago in the trenches all day, using their "Jumbo" package with Darnell Washington and backup lineman Spencer Anderson to plow through a weakened front seven.
While 55 of their rushing yards came on their fake tush push on fourth down late in the game, they did a great job of hammering the Bears with the run game all afternoon. It allowed the offense to function despite a rough game from backup quarterback Mason Rudolph, who had two turnovers and threw for just 171 yards.
While Aaron Rodgers looks primed to return next week against the Buffalo Bills, it's not like he was lighting it up through the air before his wrist injury. Continuing to run the ball effectively is going to be one of the biggest factors for Pittsburgh as they try and right the ship over their final six games, regardless of who is throwing passes.
With games against Buffalo, the Detroit Lions, and both of their meetings with the Ravens still left to play, being one-dimensional offensively is not an option if they want to return to the NFL playoffs.