Today on a podcast I heard a stat that the Steelers haven't won a game against the Chicago bears in Chicago since 1995. That sounds absolutely mind blowing, but it got me thinking about how these things work and as why it isn't as mind blowing as it sounds.
In the NFL, seasons are (currently) arranged such that we should visit Chicago only every 8 years. Not very often. However, even that has only been true since 2002. Before that, opponents outside your division were determined by a mix of rotations and prior‑year standings. This meant some matchups could be skipped for long stretches, or pretty close together. One such example is that the Steelers at Bears happened in 1969, then again in 1971, but didn't finally return again until 1986, a 15‑year gap.
Anyway, the point is, the entirety of "since 1995" consists of a whopping 2 games.
It is still interesting to take a look though at all of the games since the Super Bowl era (1966).
| Year | Result | Steelers QB | Steelers Coach | Bears QB | Bears Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 (Nov 9) | Bears 38–7 | Dick Shiner | Chuck Noll | Jack Concannon | Jim Dooley |
| 1971 (Sep 19) | Bears 17–15 | Terry Bradshaw | Chuck Noll | Jack Concannon | Jim Dooley |
| 1986 (Nov 30) | Bears 13–10 (OT) | Mark Malone | Chuck Noll | Mike Tomczak | Mike Ditka |
| 1992 (Dec 13) | Bears 30–6 | Neil O’Donnell | Bill Cowher | Jim Harbaugh | Mike Ditka |
| 1995 (Nov 5) | Steelers 37–34 (OT) | Neil O’Donnell | Bill Cowher | Erik Kramer | Dave Wannstedt |
| 2009 (Sep 20) | Bears 17–14 | Ben Roethlisberger | Mike Tomlin | Jay Cutler | Lovie Smith |
| 2017 (Sep 24) | Bears 23–17 (OT) | Ben Roethlisberger | Mike Tomlin | Mike Glennon | John Fox |
No doubt, the Bears dominated 6 of the 7 of the games in Chicago. The Steelers’ lone win came in 1995 (Neil O’Donnell in OT).
It's also interesting to note though that the Steelers have only had 3 coaches in this time and means that Noll got 3 cracks at it, Cowher 2, and Tomlin 2. This Sunday we'll see if third time's a charm.
It is hard to understand how these historical trends hold up despite different players and different coaches, but... Not really. The NFL is generally very competitive. Almost every week it seems there is some upset in which a team with terrible stats beats a team with great stats. If you think of each of these coached teams as it's own individual game and that the odds were exactly even, it wouldn't be surprising to get another 'heads' in the coin flip. And it's not 50/50. So many games are decided by 1 or 2 plays. In those 1 or 2 plays the home field does have some advantages, particularly with an excited fanbase in a place you're unfamillar and outside your own timezone. Anyway - maybe that's why in the same time the Bears have come to Pittburgh 6 times, and the Steelers have won 2/3 of those games.
| Year | Result | Steelers QB | Steelers Coach | Bears QB | Bears Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 (Nov 9) | Steelers 35–7 | Terry Bradshaw | Chuck Noll | Bob Avellini | Jack Pardee |
| 1989 (Nov 12) | Bears 20–0 | Bubby Brister | Chuck Noll | Mike Tomczak | Mike Ditka |
| 1998 (Sep 13) | Steelers 17–12 | Kordell Stewart | Bill Cowher | Erik Kramer | Dave Wannstedt |
| 2005 (Dec 11) | Steelers 21–9 | Ben Roethlisberger | Bill Cowher | Kyle Orton | Lovie Smith |
| 2013 (Sep 22) | Bears 40–23 | Ben Roethlisberger | Mike Tomlin | Jay Cutler | Marc Trestman |
| 2021 (Nov 8) | Steelers 29–27 | Ben Roethlisberger | Mike Tomlin | Justin Fields | Matt Nagy |