Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Chicago Bears: 2009 Week 2 Recap

Game story

In Week 2 of the 2009 NFL season on 2009-09-20, the Chicago Bears took care of business against the Pittsburgh Steelers, pulling away with a 17–14 final that came down to the wire.

The highest-scoring period was Q4 with 10 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

J. Cutler (Chicago Bears) paced the passing game, with +9.57 total EPA, and +10.1% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, B. Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +9.93 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (+19.8% win probability) landed in the fourth quarter when Chicago Bears changed the game: (:20) 9-R.Gould 44 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard.

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 B. Roethlisberger · Pittsburgh Steelers · Passing · +9.93 total EPA · 40 snaps · +0.25 EPA/play
2. 2 J. Cutler · Chicago Bears · Passing · +9.57 total EPA · 43 snaps · +0.22 EPA/play
3. 3 J. Knox · Chicago Bears · Receiving · +5.47 total EPA · 9 snaps · +0.61 EPA/play
4. 4 H. Ward · Pittsburgh Steelers · Receiving · +4.72 total EPA · 7 snaps · +0.67 EPA/play
5. 5 K. Davis · Chicago Bears · Receiving · +4.44 total EPA · 6 snaps · +0.74 EPA/play
6. 6 M. Spaeth · Pittsburgh Steelers · Receiving · +3.78 total EPA · 2 snaps · +1.89 EPA/play
7. 7 R. Mendenhall · Pittsburgh Steelers · Rushing · +3.64 total EPA · 3 snaps · +1.21 EPA/play
8. 8 S. Holmes · Pittsburgh Steelers · Receiving · +2.88 total EPA · 14 snaps · +0.21 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• Pittsburgh Steelers — M. Spaeth (B. Roethlisberger pass) (Q1 50:02)
• Chicago Bears — K. Davis (J. Cutler pass) (Q2 30:23)
• Pittsburgh Steelers — B. Roethlisberger (Q3 20:31)
• Chicago Bears — J. Knox (J. Cutler pass) (Q4 6:25)

Field goals

• Chicago Bears — R. Gould (Q4 0:20)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: Pittsburgh Steelers won the period 7–0. Pittsburgh Steelers found the end zone from the CHI 1 (Q1 50:02) — (5:02) 7-B.Roethlisberger pass short right to 89-M.Spaeth for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN [95-A.Adams].; Pittsburgh Steelers added 1 points from the CHI 2 (Q1 49:58) — 3-J.Reed extra point is GOOD, Center-60-G.Warren, Holder-9-D.Sepulveda..

The second quarter: Chicago Bears won the period 7–0. Chicago Bears found the end zone from the PIT 6 (Q2 30:23) — (:23) 6-J.Cutler pass short right to 87-K.Davis for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Chicago Bears added 1 points from the PIT 2 (Q2 30:19) — 9-R.Gould extra point is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard..

The third quarter: Pittsburgh Steelers won the period 7–0. Pittsburgh Steelers found the end zone from the CHI 2 (Q3 20:31) — (5:31) 7-B.Roethlisberger left end for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Pittsburgh Steelers added 1 points from the CHI 2 (Q3 20:26).

The fourth quarter: Chicago Bears won the period 10–0. Chicago Bears found the end zone from the PIT 7 (Q4 6:25) — (6:25) (Shotgun) 6-J.Cutler pass short middle to 13-J.Knox for 7 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Chicago Bears added 1 points from the PIT 2 (Q4 6:21) — 9-R.Gould extra point is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard.; Chicago Bears connected on a field goal from the PIT 26 (Q4 0:20) — (:20) 9-R.Gould 44 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• Chicago Bears (Q4 0:20) — (:20) 9-R.Gould 44 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard. [WPA +19.8% · EPA +0.76]
• Chicago Bears (Q4 6:25) — (6:25) (Shotgun) 6-J.Cutler pass short middle to 13-J.Knox for 7 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +16.0% · EPA +3.04]
• Chicago Bears (Q2 30:23) — (:23) 6-J.Cutler pass short right to 87-K.Davis for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +14.4% · EPA +3.18]
• Chicago Bears (Q4 9:27) — (9:27) 6-J.Cutler pass deep middle to 82-G.Olsen to PIT 23 for 29 yards (23-T.Carter). [WPA +11.0% · EPA +1.84]
• Chicago Bears (Q4 2:00) — (2:00) 6-J.Cutler pass short left to 23-D.Hester to PIT 34 for 5 yards (24-I.Taylor). [WPA +10.7% · EPA +0.76]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• Pittsburgh Steelers (Q4 11:42) — (11:42) 3-J.Reed 38 yard field goal is No Good, Wide Left, Center-60-G.Warren, Holder-9-D.Sepulveda. [WPA -7.1% · EPA -3.76]
• Pittsburgh Steelers (Q4 3:23) — (3:23) 3-J.Reed 43 yard field goal is No Good, Wide Left, Center-60-G.Warren, Holder-9-D.Sepulveda. [WPA -9.9% · EPA -3.24]
• Chicago Bears (Q2 30:23) — (:23) 6-J.Cutler pass short right to 87-K.Davis for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +14.4% · EPA +3.18]
• Pittsburgh Steelers (Q1 55:48) — (10:48) (Shotgun) 7-B.Roethlisberger pass deep right to 10-S.Holmes to PIT 41 for 24 yards (38-D.Manning). [WPA +8.0% · EPA +3.13]

Quarterback report card

J.Cutler led all passers in efficiency for Chicago Bears, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• J.Cutler (Chicago Bears) · 43 dropbacks · 62.8% completion · +10.1% CPOE · +0.22 EPA/play · +9.57 total EPA
• B.Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) · 40 dropbacks · 57.5% completion · +5.8% CPOE · +0.25 EPA/play · +9.93 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Both offenses finished within striking distance on EPA per play (Pittsburgh Steelers +0.08, Chicago Bears +0.09) — a true toss-up on the analytics sheet.

• Chicago Bears: 10 drives, +6.75 total EPA, 3 scoring drives
• Pittsburgh Steelers: 10 drives, +5.91 total EPA, 2 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• Chicago Bears leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• B. Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• J. Cutler (CHI) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.
• B. Roethlisberger (PIT) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers TD (+6) — Q1 50:02 · CHI 1 · Score 6-0
   (5:02) 7-B.Roethlisberger pass short right to 89-M.Spaeth for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN [95-A.Adams].
2. Pittsburgh Steelers XP (+1) — Q1 49:58 · CHI 2 · Score 7-0
   3-J.Reed extra point is GOOD, Center-60-G.Warren, Holder-9-D.Sepulveda.
3. Chicago Bears TD (+6) — Q2 30:23 · PIT 6 · Score 7-6
   (:23) 6-J.Cutler pass short right to 87-K.Davis for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
4. Chicago Bears XP (+1) — Q2 30:19 · PIT 2 · Score 7-7
   9-R.Gould extra point is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers TD (+6) — Q3 20:31 · CHI 2 · Score 13-7
   (5:31) 7-B.Roethlisberger left end for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers XP (+1) — Q3 20:26 · CHI 2 · Score 14-7
   3-J.Reed extra point is GOOD, Center-60-G.Warren, Holder-9-D.Sepulveda. PENALTY on CHI-33-C.Tillman, Defensive Offside, 5 yards, enforced between downs.
7. Chicago Bears TD (+6) — Q4 6:25 · PIT 7 · Score 14-13
   (6:25) (Shotgun) 6-J.Cutler pass short middle to 13-J.Knox for 7 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
8. Chicago Bears XP (+1) — Q4 6:21 · PIT 2 · Score 14-14
   9-R.Gould extra point is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard.
9. Chicago Bears FG (+3) — Q4 0:20 · PIT 26 · Score 14-17
   (:20) 9-R.Gould 44 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard.