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PITTSBURGH -- Observed in the locker room after the Chicago Bears’ 40-23 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers:

Deference: Bears rookie linebacker Khaseem Greene clutched in both arms several sets of team travel sweatsuits and passed them out to all of the linebackers. Asked if the gesture had anything to do with him being a rookie, Greene said, "No, I was just going to get my suit and figured I’d grab all my boys', too." Green finished the day contributing mostly on special teams. The linebacking corps as a whole totaled 12 tackles, including four for lost yardage.

Game ball: Safety Major Wright ran back an interception for a touchdown and forced a fumble, in addition to contributing seven tackles, and received the game ball for his performance. Wright gripped the ball tightly as he fished a drink out of a refrigerated cooler in the middle of the locker room. “This is my first one ever,” Wright said.

Coach, QBs huddle: Quarterbacks Jay Cutler and Josh McCown huddled for several moments in front of Cutler’s locker after the game, holding what appeared to be a serious discussion. Cutler finished with a passer rating of 90.8 and threw for a touchdown. The trio seemed to be talking strategy after the game.

PITTSBURGH -- A few thoughts on the Chicago Bears' 40-23 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers:

What it means: The Bears sit alone atop the NFC North and start 3-0 for the just the second time since 2006.

Stock watch: Jay Cutler put on a gritty performance down the stretch. Cutler threw for just 159 yards and faced more pressure in this outing than he had in the two previous combined. Still, he completed 67 percent of his passes, took care of the ball and made clutch plays late.

Three for 3-0: The Bears captured division titles in each of the past three seasons in which they started 3-0, dating back to 1990, while also winning at least 11 regular-season contests in those seasons.

Scoring D: The Bears scored 24 points off turnovers, including a 42-yard Julius Peppers fumble return for TD and a 38-yard interception return by Major Wright. Wright’s interception return marked the second consecutive game in which the Bears recorded a pick-six.

Tim Jennings scored on an interception in Chicago’s win last week over the Minnesota Vikings.

Just last season, the Bears racked up eight interception return TDs to tie the 1998 Seahawks for second most in NFL history. This season, Chicago is already a quarter of the way there.

Williams contributes: Rookie Jonathan Bostic developed into the favorite to start at middle linebacker because of his play during training camp, but veteran D.J. Williams showed why the staff prefers him in the middle of the defense.

Williams logged two sacks of Ben Roethlisberger, including one on which he stripped the quarterback with James Anderson recovering at the Pittsburgh 17. That turnover led to a Matt Forte TD.

Explosive plays still an issue: Entering the game, the Bears had surrendered eight completions of 20 yards or more, including two of 40-plus yards. In the second quarter alone, the Bears gave up two more long balls (gains of 45 and 33 yards) to Antonio Brown, who snagged a difficult 33-yard TD with 6:27 left in the first half. Roethlisberger also hit a 32-yard completion, a 22-yarder and a 26-yarder before finding Brown for a 21-yard TD with 1:57 left in the third quarter. Roethlisberger also made a 21-yard connection and 27-yarder in the fourth quarter.

This is a problem.

What’s next: The Bears take Monday off before beginning preparations Wednesday for yet another road matchup, this time at Detroit on Sunday.

PITTSBURGH -- The Chicago Bears announced their Week3 list of inactives going into Sunday night’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.

The list includes receiver Marquess Wilson, cornerback C.J. Wilson, running back Michael Ford, guard James Brown, offensive tackle Jonathan Scott, defensive end David Bass and defensive tackle Zach Minter.

So no surprises on this list. In fact, the list of inactives is identical to the one the club released last week prior to its win against the Minnesota Vikings.

Pittsburgh’s inactives include quarterback Landry Jones, receiver Derek Moye, running back Le'Veon Bell, cornerbacks Cortez Allen and Isaiah Green, center Cody Wallace and defensive tackle Hebron Fangupo.

The Steelers also announced that Felix Jones will start at running back in place of Isaac Redman. Fernando Velasco will start at guard in place of Kelvin Beachum. Jarvis Jones gets the start at right outside linebacker, and William Gay will start at cornerback in place of Allen.

Join our ESPN.com NFL experts as they break down the Chicago Bears' visit to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Contribute your thoughts and questions beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET. And, be sure to visit our NFL Nation Blitz page for commentary from every game, as well as fan photos and the latest buzz from Twitter. See you there.

Here’s a look at five things to watch during Sunday’s game between the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field:

One-dimensional game from Pittsburgh: Adrian Peterson rushed for 100 yards in Week 2, but the Bears totally minimized his impact on the game, which is likely what they’ll do on Sunday against Pittsburgh’s running backs. According to Elias Sports Bureau, dating back to last season, the Steelers have rushed for fewer than 100 yards in eight games, which represents the team’s longest skid of futility since 1935. That means there’s a good chance the Bears will easily shut down the Steelers early, and make them a one-dimensional passing team. That, in turn, should enhance Chicago’s pass rush, which has struggled thus far this season. With no threat of the rushing attack hurting them, Pittsburgh’s play-action will be ineffective, meaning the Bears can basically pin back their ears and go after the passer.

Chicago’s offensive line against Pittsburgh’s 3-4 front: The Bears faced back-to-back one-gapping 4-3 teams to start the season. So Pittsburgh’s 3-4, two-gapping front will be different than what the Bears are used to dealing with. That could lead to a slight adjustment period in the first half, but it shouldn’t excessively inhibit what the Bears can do on offense.

“It just changes the protection base, and actually your run reads too (as well as) how to get to a certain linebacker if we’re blocking zone schemes and they start blitzing, and everything changes,” said running back Matt Forte. “So it just makes it more difficult that way. I would say most of the NFL runs 4-3. So when you get a 3-4 team, you’ve got to study that 3-4 more than you do 4-3s.”

Complicating matters is the fact the Bears start two rookies on the right side in guard Kyle Long and tackle Jordan Mills.

“Technique is different when you’re playing a 3-4 defense, two-gap, way different,” offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer said. “They play very stout two-gap defense on first and second down with a combination of some pressures. But then on third down, (Steelers defensive coordinator) Dick LeBeau has been known for years to have a lot of tough nickel blitzes, show you one way, blitz the other way, roll a guy down from the line of scrimmage down to a deep half to cover. So that’s what makes it difficult. It’s just hard to see where they’re coming from.”

Julius Peppers: No sack contributions in the first game from Peppers seemed strange, but nothing out of the ordinary. Then, in Week 2, Peppers finished without a sack again, as he played through flu-like symptoms. So Peppers has received passes for his lack of production in the first two contests, but he’ll need to make more of an impact against the Steelers and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who has a penchant for buying time in the pocket with his feet. Peppers has gone three games without a sack just twice during his tenure with the Chicago Bears, and both instances came in 2010, which interestingly, marked the only season with the club in which he didn’t finish with double-digit sack totals.

“This week (the pass rush) is going to be improved,” Peppers said. “I’m not interested in talking about anything from last week. My focus is on Pittsburgh and getting better.”

With a quarterback possessing Roethlisberger’s size, the key is simply “getting him down,” Peppers said.

“He shakes guys off,” said Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker. “It usually takes more than one. The first gy usually doesn’t get it done, so we’ve got to get multiple guys on him. He’s one of the tougher guys to get down on the ground, and even when you’re hanging on the guy, he still makes a throw down the field. When he scrambles, he’s looking to throw. He can throw it 60 yards on the run. He’s a rare guy in that way. It’s going to be a huge challenge for us.”

The return of Heath Miller: Miller’s return is significant because of Chicago’s minor struggles against opposing tight ends through the first two games. Miller participated fully in practice earlier in the week, so there’s a good chance he’ll play against the Bears.

Over the first two games, tight ends Kyle Rudolph, Tyler Eifert and Jermaine Gresham have combined for 13 catches and a touchdown to go with 124 yards. So the Bears are allowing tight ends to average nearly 10 yards per reception, which clearly is too much.

The deep ball: Roethlisberger’s mobility causes defenses to break down on the back end, and if you pair that with Chicago’s recent inability to consistently rush the passer, it could conjure a recipe for disaster. The Bears have given up eight completions of 20-plus yards, including two for gains of 42 yards or more. It’s also worth noting that cornerback Charles Tillman has missed practice time with a sore knee, not to mention he struggled in Week 1 against A.J. Green, who finished that matchup with nine catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns.

Given Pittsburgh’s rushing woes, play-action shouldn’t pose much of a threat. But in third-and-long situations, when Roethlisberger is forced to take deep drops, the Bears need to get to him quickly to force errant passes and gobble up sacks.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- All week long Chicago Bears players have pointed toward their game on Sunday night, and the national television audience that goes along with it, as one reason for inspiration.

More important, obviously, is the chance to go 3-0 and being prepared for a winless Pittsburgh Steelers team, whose defense still gets respect around the NFL despite its struggles. As for letting the country see what the Bears are all about, though, new coach Marc Trestman could not care less.

"That's the last thing [being considered]," Trestman said after practice Friday. "Honestly, my focus has been consistent, and I truly believe in it. It's just to create the environment daily for our guys to succeed, and I'm not going there."

Trestman continues to show that he doesn't have an ego about anything he is doing in his first NFL head-coaching job. Away in the Canadian Football League for the previous five seasons, nobody would have blamed Trestman if he considered this a statement game to show he's back.

"I know the questions are going to be asked, but I am giving you a straight answer that there is no consideration of any of that going in," he said. "It's just to do whatever we can to be at our best and have our team be at our best."

If there is anything he is considering, outside of things that will help the Bears win Sunday, it is the chance to take his team into a storied NFL town.

"It is Pittsburgh, one of the traditional teams, very similar to the team we're fortunate enough to be with here," Trestman said. "When people come into this city, or go to Pittsburgh, they know great games have been played there with great players and there is great tradition. I think that is all part of it."

Ultimately, though, Trestman has respect for every NFL city and every NFL venue.

"Every place you have the opportunity to coach in the National Football League is a special place because it is something not everybody gets to do," he said. "So I don't know that any one place is more special than the next. I think they're all terribly special."

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman returned to the practice field Friday, but is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Pittsburgh.

Receiver Brandon Marshall (back) also returned to practice and is probable, along with tight end Martellus Bennett (shoulder) and guard Kyle Long (back).

Tillman's questionable designation means there is a 50 percent chance he’ll play. But the veteran hasn’t missed a game since the 2009 season finale at Detroit.

“He worked today. He worked about half the reps,” Bears coach Marc Trestman said. “We’ll leave it up to Charles and our trainers to see where he is. We’re optimistic, but we don’t know right now. That’s why he’s listed the way he is.”

Tillman spent the majority of Thursday’s practice with the team’s athletic trainers doing conditioning work, before participating in the team’s walk-through. The team sat Tillman for Wednesday's and Thursday’s workouts, but he participated more on Friday.

Marshall, meanwhile, dealt with hip issues early on stemming from his third arthroscopic knee surgery, but on Thursday experienced some tightness in his back toward the end of a workout, prompting the staff to remove him from practice as a precautionary measure.

While Bennett and Long were listed on the injury report, both participated fully in every practice this week.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Here is the first installment of the Chicago Bears’ Friday mailbag.

Lee Holland of Norfolk, Va., writes: What’s it going to take for Alshon Jeffery to get more involved in the offense?

Jeff Dickerson: Jeffery didn’t have his best game last week (one catch for five yards, two rushes for 30 yards), but he’s been targeted 13 times through two games. So Jeffery has been involved in the offense, it’s just that Brandon Marshall, Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett have accumulated better statistics heading into Week 3. Jeffery’s time will come. Bears head coach Marc Trestman is likely telling the second-year wideout to stay patient. Jeffery proved to everybody in the preseason that he is reliable weapon in the passing game. Give it some time.

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Bob from Chicago writes: Is Jay Cutler a $20 million a season QB? What options do the Bears have at QB if they don’t believe Cutler is worth that money?

Dickerson: Bob, Cutler is off to a strong start, but it’s only Week 3. The smart move is to wait until later in the year to determine whether or not Cutler is the kind of quarterback the Bears want to invest that heavily in. If Cutler continues to shake off his mistakes and lead the Bears to victories and to the playoffs, then all his money concerns (not that he really has any) will be taken care of. But I don’t feel comfortable writing the ‘Jay Cutler is a new guy’ narrative after two games. The true test will come when the Bears face real adversity. How will Cutler respond? As for Plan B; the Bears really don’t have one. I assume if they decide to not re-sign or franchise Cutler, they would search for his replacement via the draft while also signing a veteran quarterback in free agency. The Bears want to make it work with Cutler, however. That is how the scenario would play out in a perfect world.

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Frank from PA writes: Don’t you think the Bears will be hurt without a legitimate No. 2 receiver as they continue to play tougher teams on their schedule?

Dickerson: Yes, the Bears need a dependable No. 2 wide receiver. But I believe the Bears have two on the roster: Jeffery and Earl Bennett. If Cutler ever gets into a situation where he can’t connect with Marshall, Martellus Bennett or Matt Forte out of the backfield, Jeffery and Earl Bennett are more than capable of catching the football in tough situations. Earl Bennett, especially, has shown that he has great hands. Not good, great. The drawback with those two players has been their inability to stay healthy. But if both are active every week, the Bears should have enough at wide receiver to get them through the season with great success.

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Deryll Ringger from Decatur, IN, writes: Why does Devin Hester let the ball hit the ground when fielding punts instead of saving 20 yards by catching the ball before it hits the ground?

Dickerson: Fair question, Deryll. For all of Hester’s brilliance on kickoff returns (249 yards) last week against Minnesota, he does still have occasional lapses in judgment when determining when to field punts or let them drop. Now, I think Hester’s decision making has improved since last season, but he’ll never be perfect. I guess Bears’ fans will just have to live it. Hester is still capable of busting long returns, and I believe the 76 and 80 yard kickoff returns he busted off versus the Vikings made up for his indecision on punt return.

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Frank from Canada writes: If Julius Peppers continues to be nonexistent while cashing the biggest check on the team, do you expect him to be on the team in 2014?

Dickerson: Obviously, Peppers needs to produce for the Bears to keep him around beyond 2013, but the veteran defensive end has time to turn it around. If Peppers goes off and has a monster night versus the Steelers, some concerns should fade away. However, it’s way too early to determine whether or not the Bears want to carry the $18,183,333 cap charge or pay the $14 million in salary to Peppers in 2014. Even though the Bears are expected to have ample salary-cap space next year, Peppers does have an expensive contract, especially for an older player. But if Peppers starts to light it up and finishes with his standard 11.0 sacks, then maybe it would be worth it. Another factor is the development of Shea McClellin, Corey Wootton and Cornelius Washington. If the Bears feel good enough about the younger players stepping up into larger roles, Peppers could become expendable. But just like with Cutler, Bears general manager Phil Emery has plenty of time before he has to make that call.

ESPN.com Bears reporter Michael C. Wright joins me for Double Coverage as we preview the Chicago Bears-Pittsburgh Steelers game, which will be played Sunday night at Heinz Field.

Michael, I never thought I’d say Pittsburgh sports fans are fortunate to have the Pirates, but more than halfway through September we have bizzaro world going on here. The Buccos are headed for the postseason and the Steelers haven’t come close to resembling a playoff team.

Two touchdowns in two games has Steelers fans firing offensive coordinator Todd Haley already, and yet the biggest issue the offense might face is it simply doesn’t have the personnel on that side of the ball.

On the subject of the Steelers' offense, how difficult will Bears cornerbacks Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings make it for wide receivers Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders to get open?

Wright: The thing about those guys is they’re not speed burners by any stretch, but they’re a pair of crafty veterans. If the Bears decide to match their corners according to who they think is the most dangerous, they’ll likely put Tillman on Brown.

In Week 1 against Cincinnati, the Bears matched Tillman with A.J. Green, and in the past they’ve matched him up against Detroit’s Calvin Johnson. I don’t think you’ll see a ton of press coverage because the Bears like to play zone, keep everything in front of them and make the offense play dink-and-dunk football until they make a mistake the defense can capitalize on.

I’d say you’ll see equal amounts of Cover 2 and a single-high safety look. When the Bears play with a single-high safety, that’s when you see the cornerbacks manned up in press coverage.

I know the past four times the Steelers started 0-2, they recovered to finish with a winning record, but how much of a sense of urgency is there in that locker room?

Brown: The Steelers have done more than just pay lip service to the reality that there better be a sense of urgency in a locker room that is one floor below the library where six Lombardi Trophies are displayed.

The veterans met among themselves before the Steelers’ first practice of the week, and I know one message they especially wanted to convey to the younger players is that the 0-2 start is unacceptable.

Free safety Ryan Clark also said he wants to make it clear that the Steelers can’t depend on turning around their season simply because they are the Steelers. Or that the fact the Steelers have made the playoffs three of the past four times they have opened 0-2 will enable them to start playing better. And he is absolutely spot-on.

The defense has played well overall, but it has yet to force a turnover, and that has to change Sunday night. That leads me to my next question: How well is quarterback Jay Cutler playing, and how have he and new coach Marc Trestman meshed?

Wright: Cutler has improved in each of the past two games, generating passer ratings of 93.2 and 97.2. Cutler is No. 5 in the NFL in completion percentage, and he’s brought the team back from late deficits in back-to-back outings.

What’s important to note about Cutler is the fact he’s finally confident in the protection (remember, he’s taken a beating over the past four seasons) and believes in Trestman’s system. Cutler has been sacked only once through the first two games. Through the first two games of 2012, he’d been sacked six times. So now Cutler is confident enough to step up into the pocket and find weapons without trepidation about being hit in the mouth by a defender.

As far as Cutler’s relationship with Trestman, so far so good. Trestman came into the Bears with the mandate to protect Cutler, which obviously went a long way with the quarterback. Trestman has said the true measure of their relationship will come when they face adversity together.

Speaking of adversity, how significant was the Maurkice Pouncey injury to the Steelers' offense?

Brown: It cost the Steelers the offensive player they could least afford to lose aside from Ben Roethlisberger, and Pouncey’s season-ending knee injury had a ripple effect.

It devastated the Steelers psychologically, as Pouncey is so respected in that locker room that his teammates voted him a captain at the age of 24. I truly believe the Steelers' season opener might have turned out differently had Pouncey not gotten hurt on Pittsburgh's first possession.

The Steelers were fortunate that an experienced center like Fernando Velasco was not on an NFL roster when Pouncey went down. Velasco picked up the offense quickly and played admirably last Monday night in Cincinnati. But he is no Pouncey, who was the unquestioned leader of a young line that is still trying to find its way.

So the Steelers go into their second straight game against an opponent that looks considerably better than them on paper. That said, what should concern the Bears most when it comes to the Steelers?

Wright: They’ve definitely got to be concerned about two things: their own pass rush (just two sacks so far, compared to eight last year at this point in the season), and surrendering explosive plays in the passing game (which often come as the result of their lack of a pass rush). Roethlesberger’s ability to move and buy time should make things even tougher for the Bears.

The Bears allowed two completions of 40-plus yards in the opener, and six connections last week for gains of 20 yards or more. That’s too much. As you know, players such as Brown and Sanders can easily turn those long completions into touchdowns. And given Roethlisberger’s mobility, Chicago’s secondary can cover the receivers for only so long before they break open.

My final question for you is how much Roethlisberger’s mobility is wasted because, as it looked last Monday night, his receivers aren’t on the same page with him?

Brown: Roethlisberger addressed that very question this week, and he said a major reason he and the receivers have been out of sync at times is because opposing teams are disrupting the wideouts’ timing.

Neither Brown nor Sanders is particularly big, and opposing cornerbacks are jamming them at the line of scrimmage. The two are simply going to have to fight through it when teams get physical with them.

Roethlisberger’s mobility is still an asset, and he could jump-start the offense by using it to extend plays and find one of his receivers down the field. That is one of Roethlisberger’s trademarks, and, like most things with the Steelers’ offense, there hasn’t been enough of that through the first two games.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The old quarterback showed off his arm after practice Thursday as Chicago Bears head coach Marc Trestman played catch with tight end Martellus Bennett.

Actually, it isn’t uncommon for Trestman, the former signal caller at the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State-Moorhead, to pick up the ball on occasion and fling it around, even at the age of 57.

“We play catch every day after practice and talk a little bit; a little father-son time,” Bennett said. “It’s always good to get to talk to him while we play catch. He’ll ask me what I thought about practice or different things like that, and I will tell him different things I do to get better and how I think I can help the team in the game plan this week, the plays I like. It’s just like our quiet time with one another at the end of the day.”

Quiet time and Bennett don’t always go hand in hand, although the 26-year old begged to differ, saying he only turns on the charm once the television cameras start rolling.

Told about Bennett’s father-son comment, Trestman bowed his head and laughed.

“It’s not the first time I’ve played catch with another player on the team,” Trestman said. “And I’ve met Martellus’ father. I appreciate the kind words, but he’s a father who is a heck of a man as the father of two great kids. I’ve spent time with them and he doesn’t need me to spend time as a father (figure), but I appreciate the compliment.”

As it turns out, the games of catch started out as more of necessity than an attempt to have a bonding moment.

“Early on, we didn’t have a Juggs machine and I said ‘I’ll be your Juggs machine after practice,’” Trestman said of the device that uses two spinning wheels to thrust footballs forward. “‘I’ll make sure you get the 23 to 30 balls you need to finish your day.’ I’ve done that with other guys and I enjoy doing that. You get to go outside and play catch with the football. Who doesn’t want to do that?”

So how is Trestman’s arm after all these years?

“It’s pretty good,” Bennett said.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler flashed some comedic timing guest-starring with wife Kristin Cavallari on Wednesday night's episode of FXX’s “The League.”

But Cutler maintains that acting probably isn’t in his future after football.

“It was good. But like I told Kristin, it’s a lot of waiting around,” Cutler said. “You do your thing and then, it’s like three hours, just sitting around. I was like, ‘This is what you do?’ Played on the iPad, played some cards. It was fun, but I don’t think I would’ve done it if she wouldn’t have asked me. So I don’t think it’s something I’ll be doing regularly.”

Cutler joined Cavallari in the episode “Chalupa vs. The Cutlet,” and in one scene, the couple is standing in a playground speaking with another couple about their children. During the conversation, Cutler and Cavallari’s son throws a toy from his stroller over the heads of the couple with whom they’re conversing.

The husband tells Cutler: "The kid’s got a cannon; probably gets that from his mother.”

Cutler responds: “We’re working on his accuracy. He loves throwing the ball.”

While Cutler indicated Thursday that he enjoyed the acting experience, he said he won’t be watching the episode.

“Kristin watched it the other day and said it was pretty good. So I’ll take her word for it.”

Asked whether he’s now got more respect for Cavallari’s profession, Cutler laughed and joked, “I’m supposed to say more, right?”