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Offensive Line vs. Defensive Line
The 1985 Bears’ defensive line was fearsome, featuring:
Richard Dent: Super Bowl XX MVP, 17.5 sacks, with edge speed.
Dan Hampton: Versatile tackle, powerful and quick.
Steve McMichael: Relentless interior disruptor.
This trio led the NFL with 64 sacks. The 1976 Steelers’ offensive line, anchored by future Hall of Famer Mike Webster, allowed 25 sacks in 14 games. Dent’s speed could challenge the
Steelers’ protection and run-blocking.
Edge: Bears’ D-line
Quarterback Matchup
Terry Bradshaw (Steelers): 1,177 yards, 10 TDs, 13 INTs in 10 starts, 52.5% completion. Turnover-prone.
Jim McMahon (Bears): 1,683 yards, 15 TDs, 11 INTs. Efficient, supported by a strong O-line and defense.
The Bears’ blitz-heavy “46 defense” would pressure Bradshaw, while McMahon faced less duress, leveraging his team’s strengths.
Edge: Bears
Running Backs
Franco Harris (Steelers): 1,128 yards, 14 TDs, 4.6 YPC. Powerful and finessed Hall of Famer.
Walter Payton (Bears): 1,390 yards, 13 TDs, 4.4 YPC, 49 receptions. Elusive and versatile, aided by Jimbo Covert’s O-line.
Steelers’ D (Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood) allowed 3.9 YPC; Bears’ D gave up 3.5 YPC, 82.4 YPG. Payton’s pass-catching tips it.
Edge: Bears
Wide Receivers vs. Secondary
Steelers’ Hall of Fame duo:
Lynn Swann: 28 catches, 516 yards, 3 TDs, clutch.
John Stallworth: 19 catches, 306 yards, 4 TDs, deep threat.
Bears’ “46 defense” secondary:
Gary Fencik: 6 INTs, hard-hitting safety.
Mike Singletary: Coverage linebacker.
Led NFL with 34 INTs, 54 takeaways. Could limit Swann and Stallworth, especially with Bradshaw pressured.
Edge: Bears
Linebackers
Steelers: Jack Lambert and Jack Ham, held foes to 13.9 PPG. Legendary duo.
Bears: Mike Singletary, Otis Wilson, Wilber Marshall, allowed 12.4 PPG. Aggressive swarmers.
Both elite at run-stopping and havoc; Bears’ scheme slightly more chaotic, Steelers equally effective.
Edge: Draw
Special Teams
Bears: Kevin Butler (31/37 FGs), Willie Gault (33 YPR on kick returns). Dynamic.
Steelers: Roy Gerela (12/19 FGs), weaker returns. Steady but less impactful.
Bears’ explosiveness could sway a close game.
Edge: Bears
Verdict
The 1985 Bears edge out the 1976 Steelers. Their all-time great defense—pressuring Bradshaw with 64 sacks and forcing 54 takeaways—would contain Harris and disrupt the O-line. Payton’s versatility and McMahon’s game management sustain drives, while the secondary neutralizes Swann and Stallworth. The Steelers’ D, with Lambert and Greene, keeps it tight, but the Bears’ pressure and turnovers prevail.
Projected Score: Bears 17, Steelers 13
I switched to Grok 3 as soon as my account had it and tried the prompt again. When running the prompt for The United States, I noticed that the stories were not current. One story stated that Antony Blinken was Secretary of State when he hasn’t been for over a month. Another talked about the upcoming presidential election, showing that the time frame Grok was operating with was months ago.
I then asked Grok 3 to review and refine the prompt itself to ensure that the stories it generated were current topics and actively the top stories users were discussing. It provided a more concise draft that did seem to get better results for a number of countries. Then I ran on the United States again and… the stories did not seem to be the biggest and more relevant. Rather than negotiations to end the Ukraine war or Macron’s visit to the US or the raging about DOGE, it came back with a Timberwolves’ player opting for free agency. Really?
So I asked Grok 3 to show me the posts that led it to choose these three stories. It came back with quoted posts, one for each story. One quickly notices that the length, tone and style of all three example posts were identical. As if they’d been written by the same person.
I asked for the user accounts that generated them. Grok 3 produced 3 user accounts. None were actual accounts. When I pointed that out, Grok 3 helpfully explained that it was providing representative quotes that it had assimilated from X.com posts, and the account names were also representative of the types of account IDs that would post those representative quotes.
I then explained that doesn’t work for me. I need to see real posts from real accounts. Grok 3 apologized then helpfully presented 3 more accounts stating they were actual user accounts.
They weren’t.
So there it is.
I’ll move on to some other endeavor.