Monday Night Football: Steelers edge Bears in controversial contest to continue winning streak
The Steelers retook the lead for the ultimate time by means of Chris Boswell’s 40-yard discipline aim 26 seconds from time however have been nonetheless compelled to endure a nail-biting potential 65-yard recreation profitable kick from Bears kicker Cairo Santos.
To Pittsburgh’s reduction, Santos’ kick dropped simply quick — securing the win and making it 19 straight victories at Heinz Discipline for the Steelers when enjoying on a Monday evening.
‘Extremely inappropriate’
Regardless of these dramatic ultimate moments, it was a specific fourth-quarter sack on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger that dominated a lot of the protection — the topic of one among a number of controversial calls throughout the recreation.
With the Steelers main 23-20, Cassius Marsh of the Bears was penalized for taunting by referee Tony Corrente following his third-down sack on Roethlisberger — giving the Steelers a primary down and an eventual discipline aim — and Marsh subsequently claimed he was “hip-checked” by Corrente moments earlier than he was flagged.
“On my strategy to the sideline, I obtained hip-checked by the ref. It is fairly clear,” Marsh mentioned after the sport.
“If I used to be to try this to a ref and even contact a ref, we get kicked out of the sport and probably suspended and fined. I simply suppose that that was extremely inappropriate.
“I believe that one was simply unhealthy timing. It is fairly clear to everyone who noticed it that I wasn’t taunting.
“I have been doing the celebration my entire profession. It is simply unhappy to see stuff like that occur in an in depth recreation like that.”
“Initially, remember that taunting is some extent of emphasis this 12 months,” Corrente mentioned.
“And with that mentioned, I noticed the participant, after he made an enormous play, run in direction of the bench space of the Pittsburgh Steelers and posture in such a method that I felt he was taunting them.”
On the alleged contact with Marsh, Corrente mentioned: “That had nothing to do with it. It was the taunting side.”
Solely Cleveland Browns defensive finish Myles Garrett has extra sacks than Watt’s 11.5 this season, with 12.
Rise and slide
The outcome continues the respective rise and slide of each groups. Having gone 0-3 in Weeks 2-4, Monday’s victory extends the Steelers’ streak following wins over the Denver Broncos, the Seattle Seahawks and the Cleveland Browns.
In the meantime, the Bears drop to 3-6 with a fourth successive defeat, however they are going to take coronary heart from the style through which they misplaced — a stark distinction to the 38-3 thrashing by the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers final month — and the electrical fourth quarter efficiency of Fields.
The 22-year-old threw for 291 yards general — a private greatest for the season — and a landing move to Darnell Mooney to rally his crew within the fourth, a show that didn’t go unnoticed by Bears head coach Matt Nagy.
“The large image, for him, is nice,” Nagy mentioned, discussing the drive.
“After they kicked that discipline aim and went up six, there was a extremely, fairly neat second on the sideline. You’ll be able to really feel it from the gamers, like, ‘OK, we fought again to get so far the place a landing wins it.’
“Then I regarded over at Justin, and he had this smile on his face the place it was like, it was his time. To see that, the arrogance that provides you as a coach while you see that — it was like he was virtually hoping that this was going to be the state of affairs.
“Then for him to observe by means of with that and make these performs that he made, it was a extremely, actually good feeling on that sideline. So while you speak in regards to the progress for him and for the offense and simply our crew on the whole, that is a second.”
