NBC, 8:30 PM
It's not entirely unreasonable to suggest that the season hinges on this game. An 0-3 start may be too deep of a hole to cilmb out of, but the 2-0 Bears are poised to deliver that reality to the Steel City. The Steelers have to find a way to win tonight to keep their playoff aspirations alive.
The key to this game is going to be Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. He brings an extremely schizophrenic reputation to the table as a quarterback who is equally likely to singlehandedly win a game as he is to lose it. The Steelers have always struggled against Cutler, seeing the All-Pro variety of the Broncos/Bears' field general. That has to change tonight. With the Steelers' offense being as bad as it is, there's one thing the Steelers can do to win this game:
Get. The. Football.
Look, the offense has been bad and deserves every bit of criticism. But the defense isn't absolved of blame either. They've played adequately and no better. This team can't win that way. The defense has to create negative plays and get turnovers. Jay Cutler is a great candidate to turn the football over, but the defense has to get to him. If he stays clean the whole game, it's over.
The offense isn't going to win games this year. The defense is going to have to do it instead. This team has been in that position before. This team has won with that strategy. And tonight, they'll have to do it again.
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