Steelers vs. Bears: Taunting Penalty, Referees Overshadow Pittsburgh's Win Over Chicago

The Chicago Bears were defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-27 Monday night in a loss marred by penalties. The most egregious one came in the final minutes on a third-down stop by the Bears, potentially altering the final outcome.

Trailing 23-20 with 3:40 left in the fourth quarter, Bears linebacker Cassius Marsh sacked Ben Roethlisberger for a seven-yard loss at the Pittsburgh 46-yard line, seemingly forcing the Steelers to punt. The sack was negated when Marsh was hit with a 15-yard taunting penalty that extended Pittsburgh’s drive, ending with a field goal and a 26-20 Steelers’ lead.

“First of all, keep in mind that taunting is a point of emphasis this year. And with that said, I saw the player, after he made a big play, run toward the bench area of the Pittsburgh Steelers and posture in such a way that I felt he was taunting them,” referee Tony Corrente told pool reporter Adam Hoge after the game.

The penalty appeared dubious, at best, and was magnified by Corrente’s reaction. The ref initiated contact with Marsh as he threw the flag that gave Pittsburgh a first down.

“On my way to the sideline, I got hip-checked by the ref. It's pretty clear,” Marsh told the media after the game. “If I was to do that to a ref or even touch a ref, we get kicked out of the game and possibly suspended and fined. I just think that that was incredibly inappropriate.”

Justin Fields led the Bears on a 75-yard touchdown drive, giving Chicago a 27-26 lead with 1:46 remaining. Chris Boswell kicked a 40-yard game-winning field goal for Pittsburgh with 26 seconds left in regulation. Had the previous Steelers’ drive not been extended by Marsh’s taunting penalty, Pittsburgh would’ve had to go for a touchdown in the final seconds.

Earlier in the game, the Bears had a touchdown wiped off the board because of a questionable penalty for an illegal low block. Chicago totaled 12 penalties for 115 yards over the course of the loss. Pittsburgh had five penalties for 30 yards.

The NFL’s emphasis on taunting penalties has been a source of consternation for players and fans alike in the 2021 season. That might not change anytime soon with such calls playing a major role in the outcome of games.

“I think that one was just bad timing. It's pretty clear to everybody who saw it that I wasn’t taunting,” Marsh said. “I've been doing the celebration my whole career. It’s just sad to see stuff like that happen in a close game like that.”

The defeat dropped the Bears to 3-6 on the season and even further out of the playoff race. The Steelers improved their record to 5-3.