Week 12 of the 2025 National Football League Season is upon us! This week, the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Chicago to take on the Bears in a crucial Inter-Conference battle! Here’s everything you need to know for the game.
What: Pittsburgh Steelers 6-4 at Chicago Bears 7-3
Where: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
When: Sunday November 23rd, 2025 1pmET
Weather: Sunny and 52 degrees. Winds to 6mph.
Surface: Natural Grass
Wagering Information: Bears -2.5 O/U 45
Last Week: The Bears defeated the Vikings 19-17 in Minnesota on a last-second field goal. In Pittsburgh, the Steelers knocked off the Bengals 34-12 behind two defensive scores.
TV: CBS Ian Eagle (play-by-play), J.J. Watt (analysis), Evan Washburn (field reporter)
TV Coverage in Your Area (courtesy 506sports.com): BLUE
Radio: Steelers Audio Network Rob King (play-by-play), Max Starks (analysis), Missi Matthews (field reporter)
Westwood One Radio: N/A
Head Official: John Hussey. A graduate of Idaho State University, Hussey is the Founder/CEO of a non-profit. He last did a Steelers’ game in January of this year which was a home loss to the Bengals. His crew called nine penalties that day. His crew currently has the least amount of holding calls in the NFL. His crew is also calling about 1.5 more penalties on the home team versus the away team.
Game Status (courtesy steelers.com) PIT: No. 8 QB Aaron Rodgers (Left Wrist) – Questionable, No. 23 CB Darius Slay (Concussion) – Questionable, No. 56 LB Alex Highsmith (Pectoral) – Doubtful, No. 97 DT Cameron Heyward (NIR – Rest/Ankle) – Questionable CHI: No. 9 DB Jaquan Brisker (Shoulder) – Questionable, No. 49 LB Tremaine Edmunds (Groin) – Out, No. 53 LB T.J. Edwards (Hand/Hamstring) – Out
No. 44 LB Noah Sewell (Elbow) – Out, * No. 6 DB Kyler Gordon (Calf) – Questionable, No. 21 RB Travis Homer (Hamstring/Knee) – Out, *, No. 1 DB Jaylon Johnson (Groin) – Questionable, No. 23 RB Roschon Johnson (Thumb) – Out, No. 79 OL Theo Benedet (Quad) – Questionable
* in the 21-day window designated to return from Injured Reserve
Injury Notes: Depth… It will be an issue for both teams Sunday. The Bears are without all three starting linebackers while the Steelers could be without Aaron Rodgers. Alex Highsmith looks doubtful and Cam Heyward is suddenly a late-week concern. Ultimately this will be a battle of attrition.
2025 NFL Ranks:
Total Offense: PIT 28th, CHI 4th
Passing Offense: PIT 22nd, CHI 13th
Rushing Offense: PIT 29th, CHI 2nd
Total Defense: PIT 28th, CHI 27th
Passing Defense: PIT 32nd, CHI 23rd
Rushing Defense: PIT 13th, CHI 25th
AFC North Standings:
Pittsburgh 6-4
Baltimore 5-5
Cincinnati 3-7
Cleveland 2-8
This Week in the AFC North: New England at Cincinnati 1pmET, NY Jets at Baltimore 1pmET, Cleveland at Las Vegas 405pmET
What You Need to Know: The Steelers are 69-41-4 all-time when playing against a former number one pick at quarterback… Pittsburgh is 6-2 this season when they score 20 or more points in a game… The Steelers are 6-1 in games played during the day… With the opening TD drive in Week 11 vs. Cincinnati, Pittsburgh has scored on its opening possession seven times this season, including four TDs. The Steelers did not take one opening possession in 2024 for a TD. In fact, prior to 2025, the Steelers recorded an opening drive TD on just five occasions since the start of the 2022 season… The Bears have almost 1,000 more offensive yards in the same amount of games as do the Steelers… The Bears (697) and Steelers (687) rank second and third, respectively, in most regular-season victories in the League since 1933 when Pittsburgh started professional football.
Tomlin Time: Coach Tomlin is 1-3 all-time versus the Bears… Tomlin is now one win away from tying Dan Reeves (190) for tenth all-time in victories… Coach Tomlin is 50-28-1 all-time versus the NFC… He also has 22 road victories against the NFC which ranks him fourth among coaches since 1970.
Chicago Bears Names to Know: QB Caleb Williams, TE Colston Loveland, WR Rome Odunze, RB Kyle Monangai, WR Luther Burden III, RB D’Andre Swift, TE Cole Kmet, K Cairo Santos, DL Austin Booker, DL Montez Sweat, DB Jaquan Brisker, S C.J. Gardner-Johnson, LB Tremaine Edmunds
What’s at Stake: This is a meeting of two teams who both find themselves in first place in their respective divisions. The Bears have two teams (Packers and Lions) chasing them while the Steelers are trying to fend off the Ravens. Neither team can afford a loss.
All-Time Series: Bears lead 19-8-1 and lead all-time in Chicago 12-1
Last Meeting: November 2021 in Pittsburgh. Steelers 29 Bears 27
Postseason History: None
Steelers Regular Season Game Highs vs CHI:(NOT AVILABLE THIS WEEK)
PASSING:
RUSHING:
RECEIVING:
SACKS:
INTERCEPTIONS:
Check out the latest SCB Steelers Podcast for more on the Steelers.
Three Things We Need to See for a Steelers’ Victory:
–Deal With the “Curse.” One victory in 13 total games in Chicago is brutal. Heck, that’s a brutal record against anyone, anywhere… But the Steelers have to block that out. Many of these players weren’t even on the roster the last time the Steelers played in the Windy City and for most of them it should be ‘just another game.’ Whether Aaron Rodgers starts or not matters. He’s 24-5 all-time against the Bears and is 11-3 at Soldier Field. While fans and pundits will discuss it more than the players, they will definitely hear about it and need to put it where it belongs – in the past.
–Time vs Speed. Through the first 11 weeks, no defense gets pressure faster than do the Steelers. Conversely, no QB has had more time to throw than Caleb Williams. That is a reflection of both having time in the pocket and his ability to scramble and keep plays alive. Pittsburgh’s EDGE rushers will have to be disciplined. Letting Williams get out wide where he can scan and find his receivers freeing themselves up is a recipe for disaster. If anything, they need to force him forward where Cam Heyward, Keannu Benton and company will be waiting.
–Establish the Run With Everyone. The Bears are not great defensively against the run and the Steelers have an excellent opportunity to control the game. Unfortunately it isn’t something they’ve been able to do much in 2025. With incredibly difficult games still coming, there’s no time like the present to get this ground game in gear. It doesn’t have to be all with one guy either. I’d really like to see Arthur Smith find a rotation with Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell. One that allows Warren to be on the field for third downs more often. His tackle-breaking skills are sorely missed in those situations. Also, getting the running game going also gets the passing game more opportunities.
The ‘X’ Factor: Each week I will select a player from each team who I believe will need to play above and beyond in order for his team to win.
X-Factor Steelers: Jonnu Smith. I don’t put all of Smith’s troubles on him but at the end of the day he has significantly underwhelmed since coming over from Miami. He has 26 receptions for 163 yards and just two scores. With Darnell Washington no longer a “a secret” and Pat Freiermuth struggling to get snaps, it’s high time that Smith starts becoming more of a factor as a receiver.
X-Factor Bears: Grady Jarrett. The 11th year pro might not be quite the player he once was but he can still impact the game. If the Steelers cannot control him inside in both the running game and in pass protection then that means they have to allocate more resources to him. If that happens then the Bears’ pass rushers will get more opportunities to get to Rodgers/Rudolph. It should be a good battle between Jarrett and the Steelers’ interior offensive line.
Prediction: I continue to struggle with the fact that the Steelers’ offense only put up 20 points (10 in each half) against the worst defense in the NFL last Sunday. The Bears’ defense is better than Cincinnati but not by a whole lot. The problem is that now the Steelers are back on the road in a place they’ve won once since 1933. Yes, you read that correctly. With a less than 100% Aaron Rodgers or Mason Rudolph starting, my confidence level is low at best. I sense another rock fight but the Bears win another close one as they’ve done all year.
Bears 20 Steelers 16
Season Prediction Record: 4-6
