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Remember these big, bad Steelers just about choked away the Super Bowl to Arizona late in the game. They barely squeezed by Tennessee in the season opener. Now, I'm not trashing Pittsburgh, but I hope I'm pointing out with the salary cap and parity that exists in the NFL, it shouldn't be that much of a stretch for a good Bears team to beat the Super Bowl champs at home.

And what is the formula to come out on top of these close games as the Bears did yesterday?

• A quarterback that can make clutch plays and limit turnovers: Jay Cutler fit the role nicely yesterday, tossing two touchdowns with no interceptions.
• A defense that can pressure the quarterback and limit red zone opportunities: Alex Brown had two sacks, and the defense allowed only two scores.
• A lucky bounce of the ball: Bears tight end Greg Olsen alertly pounced on a fumble by Matt Forte on Chicago's game-winning drive.

• A few fortunate breaks: Pittsburgh kicker Jeff Reed botched a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter.

DEFENSE: The unit did yield 308 yards, and was gashed for large chunks of yards several times, but only yielded two touchdowns. Brown's pair of sacks of "Big" Ben Roethlisberger highlighted the effort, as did Peanut Tillman's interception. After being in the media spotlight all week, Hunter Hillenmeyer did a capable job filling in at middle linebacker for the injured Brian Urlacher. The defense has played much better than I anticipated in the first two games. Credit Lovie Smith for taking over the play calling duties.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Robbie Gould delivered a game-winning kick once again for Chicago, and it was difference in the game after Pittsburgh's Reed missed twice. The Bears kick coverage team also recovered a fumble after the Gould three-pointer to secure the victory. Punter Brad Maynard had another solid effort for Chicago. Knox had one long return brought back due to a penalty.