Bears 17, Steelers 14

Of all the factors I thought today's game between the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers might come down to, the disparity between the play of the kickers was near the end of the list.

That was essentially the difference between the teams at Soldier Field, though. Robbie Gould got only one field goal try for the Bears, but it was a 44-yarder that broke a tie with 15 seconds left. Not exactly a gimmie, and Gould booted it inside the left crossbar. Jeff Reed missed from 38 and then 43 yards in the fourth quarter, keeping the Steelers from first taking a two-score lead and then from retaking the lead after the Bears had caught up.

Reed was the goat in this one, but Gould has to share the title of hero with QB Jay Cutler. I was as hard as anybody on Cutler after his 4-interception debut last week in Green Bay. I've got to give him all the credit in the world for shining brightly in his first home game at Soldier Field.

Cutler won't match Phillip Rivers for passing yards today, nor did he come close to the 6 touchdowns Drew Brees threw last week. His numbers — 27-for-38, 236 yards, 2 touchdowns, no interceptions — were very good, but in today's passing-oriented NFL, they'll hardly turn heads on their own.

A few things made Cutler's day even better than those numbers indicate. First and foremost, he was facing a Steelers defense that was No. 1 in the league in 2008 in both yards allowed and points allowed. He had the "help" of a Bears running game that generated a whole 43 yards on 18 carries. He also had to overcome numerous drops. In fact, I remember just two throws that I'd consider poor from the entire game — an overthrow of an open Greg Olsen near the sideline early in the game, and a near-interception that Cutler floated under heavy pressure, also in the first half.

Rookie WR Johnny Knox had a good game with six catches for 70 yards and a score, and the offensive line really did a nice job of handling the ferocious blitz pressure of the Steelers after its poorous showing in Week 1. The Bears defense was just OK. The secondary settled in after a terrible start, but the defensive line didn't get to Ben Roethlisberger much, at least not until late in the game.