5 things we learned: Even in victory, McCloud's fumbles becoming problematic for Steelers

Five things we learned from Steelers 29, Bears 27:

1. Dropping the ball

Ray-Ray McCloud’s tendency to put the ball on the ground, particularly on special teams, could soon spell the end to his role as kickoff and punt returner.

McCloud’s fumble on a punt return with 6 minutes, 31 seconds left, which was upheld on replay review, resulted in a 25-yard touchdown for the Bears, trimming a 23-13 lead to three points.

It was the second game in a row and third time this season that McCloud fumbled. It was the first time the Steelers didn’t bail him out with a recovery. The previous week in Cleveland, McCloud fumbled on a punt return only to have teammate Justin Layne pounce on the loose ball.

McCloud wasn’t as fortunate against the Bears. He has fumbled five times in 23 career games with the Steelers and 10 times in an NFL career that included stints in Buffalo and Carolina. It was the fourth lost fumble of McCloud’s career that has spanned 40 games.

2. Another comeback

The game-winning drive was the 50^th of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s career, tying him with Tom Brady for third place on the all-time list.

Standing ahead of Roethlisberger and Brady are Peyton Manning, with 54, and Drew Brees, with 53.

Roethlisberger has executed four game-winning drives this season, including the prior week in Cleveland when he helped engineer a comeback from a 10-9 deficit in the final quarter.

Roethlisberger tied Brady on a night when he clearly was not at his best. He had just 66 yards passing midway through the third quarter before James Washington caught a wobbling 42-yard toss. The completion began a drive that ended with Pat Freiermuth catching his second touchdown pass for a 20-6 lead.

Roethlisberger finished with 21 completions in 30 attempts for 205 yards. He also was sacked four times, tying a season-high. But Roethlisberger, most importantly, didn’t throw an interception for the fourth game in a row. The Steelers, of course, have won all four games.

3. Rookies keep contributing

Freiermuth was 8 years old and Najee Harris was 9 when Mike Tomlin won his first game as Steelers head coach in September 2007.

The rookies were an integral part of Tomlin’s 150^th victory, which vaulted him past Bill Cowher and into sole possession of second place on the franchise’s all-time regular-season wins list. Chuck Noll stands at the top with 193 regular-season victories.

Freiermuth’s touchdown receptions spanning 4 and 10 yards each came on third down and showed off his reliability inside the red zone. Freiermuth tied for the team high with five receptions, and he totaled 43 yards. He also was featured on a shovel pass in the first quarter that gained 9 yards.

Harris opened the scoring with a 10-yard touchdown run on the Steelers’ opening possession, finding a seam along the left side of the line and reaching the end zone without much resistance. Harris, though, had to work harder for most of his 62 yards, needing 22 carries to reach that figure — an average of 2.8 yards per carry.

In the fourth quarter, Harris gained 13 yards on the first play from scrimmage after the Bears had pulled within 23-20. He also converted twice on fourth-and-1, the first at the end of the opening quarter. That drive ended with Freiermuth’s first touchdown catch. The second time came in the third quarter and led to Freiermuth’s second touchdown that provided a 20-6 lead.

4. Costly mistakes

Cassius Marsh’s 15-yard penalty for taunting after he sacked Roethlisberger for a 7-yard loss on third down with 3:16 remaining was the most controversial call of the game. It also was one of 12 penalties called against the Bears, who gave up 115 yards on those flags.

The Bears were left questioning referee Tony Corrente’s decision after Marsh, who was cut by the Steelers at the end of training camp, stood and gazed at his former team’s bench following the sack.

The Bears also were hurt by a low-block penalty called against guard James Daniels in the third quarter. This negated a 1-yard touchdown catch by Jimmy Graham and pushed the Bears back to the Steelers 16. Chicago settled for a field goal that made it 14-6.

The penalties began piling up early for the Bears. They were penalized three times on their opening two possessions, including an illegal formation infraction that Tomlin spotted after the Bears lined up out of the huddle.

It was too many men on the field that provided a first down for the Steelers at the Chicago 4 in the second quarter. The Bears later had an illegal man downfield, which negated a 15-yard completion.

The Steelers also benefited from a roughing the passer call in the third quarter and a pass interference call in the fourth that was worth 30 yards on an incompletion to Diontae Johnson.

The Steelers, by the way, were penalized just five times for 30 yards.

5. Sticky fingers

Cameron Heyward is known for sacking quarterbacks and even deflecting their passes. Intercepting them? Not so much.

Yet, Heyward got his hands on Justin Fields’ pass at the line of scrimmage with 2:03 left in the first quarter and kept his grip on it for his second career interception. The pick set up Freiermuth’s 4-yard touchdown catch that gave the Steelers a 14-0 lead.

The interception was just the third for the Steelers and seventh takeaway in eight games. And for the first time this season, they turned the takeaway into a touchdown.

Heyward had a more forgettable moment later in the half when he was called for encroachment with the Bears facing a fourth-and-1 at the Chicago 45. The Bears turned this mistake into a field goal with 15 seconds left that provided their first points of the game.