With Aaron Rodgers sidelined, Mason Rudolph and the Steelers fall short in Chicago

CHICAGO (AP) — On this trip to Chicago, Aaron Rodgers was just a spectator at Soldier Field. Mason Rudolph tried to rally Pittsburgh to a late win, but it didn't work out.

Rodgers might own the Bears, but the Steelers don’t.

With Rodgers sidelined by a broken left wrist, Rudolph threw an interception and lost a fumble in a 31-28 loss on Sunday. The Steelers dropped to 1-13 against the Bears in Chicago.

“That’s the role of a backup quarterback: You have to be ready whenever your number is called,” Rudolph said. “I felt ready today.”

Rodgers was listed as questionable, but Rudolph said he found out Saturday that he would be making the start. Rodgers, who turns 42 on Dec. 2, got hurt in the second quarter of a 34-12 win over Cincinnati last weekend.

Pittsburgh (6-5) hosts Buffalo next Sunday before visiting AFC North rival Baltimore on Dec. 7. Losers of four of their last six games, the Steelers are tied with the Ravens atop the division.

“I anticipate (Rodgers) being ready for next week. It was a prudent decision to make,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “Certainly it wasn’t a fluid week for him. It was a fluid week for Mason in terms of reps and so forth. So, I think it will be in our rearview as we move forward. I’m hopeful of that.”

Rodgers has dominated Chicago throughout his career, dating to his long run in Green Bay. The four-time MVP is 25-5 against the Bears, counting the playoffs.

During a 24-14 win at Soldier Field in 2021, Rodgers celebrated his rushing touchdown for the Packers by turning to the crowd and yelling “I still own you! I still own you!”

Rodgers' left forearm was wrapped as he stood in front of his locker after Sunday's loss. He did not speak with the media.

The 30-year-old Rudolph was 24 of 31 for 171 yards in his 19th career regular-season start. He said Rodgers served as a resource while also giving him some space.

“I think he knows this isn’t my first time doing it, so he wasn’t talking my ear off,” Rudolph said. “But he provided some support and some extra setup, veteran, awesome eyes, on the sidelines.”

After Chicago went three-and-out on its first possession, Rudolph was intercepted on his first throw of the game. He tried to find DK Metcalf on a deep ball, but Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright made a leaping grab on the sideline.

Chicago turned the play into DJ Moore's 4-yard touchdown reception with 8:28 left in the first quarter.

The Steelers were down 24-21 in the third quarter when Rudolph was stripped on a sack by Montez Sweat, who recovered the fumble at the Bears 46.

On the ensuing possession, Chicago drove to Kyle Monangai's 2-yard touchdown run and a 10-point lead early in the fourth.

“On the sack-fumble, they did a good job of peeling off the left tackle to go rob that checkdown, which I was about to throw,” Rudolph said. “I saw that and kind of re-cocked it, and that’s when I got hit. They covered the play well. And I just have to do a better job of protecting ball.”

Rudolph made a nice throw to Pat Freiermuth for a 3-yard TD with 6:27 left, and the Steelers had the ball twice in the final minutes with a chance to take the lead.

Facing a fourth-and-6 at the Chicago 47 on the team's final possession, Rudolph tried to find Metcalf along sideline. But his throw landed in the grass after it was tipped by a leaping Jaquan Brisker.

“I thought he was game. He always is,” Tomlin said of Rudolph. “He made plays for us, particularly in the fourth quarter. But as a collective, him included, we didn’t do enough to win.”

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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph (2) hands off to Jaylen Warren during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, left, gets a hug from Pat Freiermuth (88) before an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph (2) calls signals during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph (2) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers stands on the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) throws against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to revive his struggling government but faced growing calls to resign after a disastrous set of local and regional elections for his Labour Party.

As the final results came in Saturday, Labour suffered a net loss of more than 1,100 local council seats across England, lost control of several local authorities it had held for decades and was booted from power in Wales after 27 years. Anti-immigration party Reform UK gained over 1,300 seats across England and made significant gains in legislative elections in Wales and Scotland.

It was a blunt verdict from voters in elections widely seen as an unofficial referendum on Starmer, whose popularity has plummeted since he led the center-left party to power less than two years ago.

Here are five things we’ve learned from the elections.

Starmer insisted he would not walk away and "plunge the country into chaos,” and the dire election results did not produce an immediate challenge to his leadership.

"The right thing to do is rebuild and show the path forward,” Starmer said Saturday. “That’s what I’m going to do in the coming days.”

Starmer’s Cabinet colleagues expressed support, and none of the high-profile Labour politicians considered potential challengers has made a move. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham are keeping quiet for now.

But a growing number of Labour lawmakers urged the prime minister to set a timetable for his departure this year. British politics allows parties to change leader midterm without the need for a new election.

“There has to be a timetable,” legislator Clive Betts told the BBC. Another lawmaker, Tony Vaughan, said there should be an “orderly transition of leadership.”

Starmer tried to demonstrate change on Saturday by bringing back two figures from past Labour governments. He made former Prime Minister Gordon Brown a special envoy on global finance, and appointed the party's ex-deputy leader Harriet Harman an adviser on women and girls.

Starmer is due to make a speech on Monday in an attempt to regain momentum, before the government sets out its legislative plans on Wednesday in a speech delivered by King Charles III at the State Opening of Parliament.

The elections were a breakthrough for Reform UK, the latest hard-right party led by the veteran nationalist politician Nigel Farage.

Running on an anti-establishment and anti-immigration message, the party won hundreds of local council seats in working-class areas in England’s north, such as Sunderland, that were solid Labour turf for decades. It also made gains from the Conservatives in areas like the county of Essex, east of London, and increased its vote share in Wales and Scotland, new terrain for the party.

Farage said the results marked a “historic change in British politics.” He said he's confident that “voters who have come to us are not doing it as a short-term protest.”

Reform UK currently holds just eight of the 650 seats in the House of Commons and it’s unclear whether it could repeat its success in a national election.

The elections produced semiautonomous administrations in Scotland and Wales led by parties devoted to independence and the breakup of the United Kingdom — though neither has that policy on the front burner.

The Scottish National Party, which has governed in Edinburgh since 2007, won another term but fell short of a majority, meaning an independence referendum is unlikely. Labour and Reform tied in a distant second place.

Plaid Cymru (The Party of Wales) won the most seats in the Cardiff-based legislature, the Senedd. The party, which has an ambition for Wales to leave the U.K. but no plan to do so anytime soon, fell short of a majority but will likely form the new government. Reform came second and Labour a distant third in one of its most historic heartlands, with outgoing First Minister Eluned Morgan losing her seat.

The economy lies at the heart of Labour’s troubles, as it does for many incumbent governments.

Since ending 14 years of Conservative rule roiled by austerity and the COVID-19 pandemic, Labour has struggled to ease the cost of living and jump-start a sluggish economy against the tough economic backdrop of war in Ukraine and, more recently, Iran. Starmer also has angered supporters with attempts to cut welfare spending, some of which were reversed after Labour revolts.

Some in Labour say the government's achievements, including protections for renters and a higher minimum wage, are going unnoticed. Many blame Starmer, an uninspiring leader distracted by scandals including his disastrous decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as Britain’s ambassador to Washington.

But Stephen Houghton, the outgoing leader of Barnsley council in northern England, where Labour lost to Reform, said the problem “goes deeper than the prime minister.”

“This has been coming for 30 years around the country, in post-industrial communities, coastal communities, that have been left behind,” he said. “You can change prime ministers all day long. If you don’t change policy, it’s not going to change.”

The results reflect a fragmentation of U.K. politics after decades of domination by Labour and the Conservative Party, which also suffered major losses on Thursday.

The elections offered voters a rainbow of choices, including the centrist Liberal Democrats and the nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales.

But the big winners were populist insurgents, Reform UK and the Green Party, whose focus has expanded from the environment to social justice and the Palestinian cause under self-described “eco populist” leader Zack Polanski. The Greens won hundreds of council seats from Labour in urban centers and university towns and took control of several local authorities.

Tony Travers, professor of government at the London School of Economics, said the results suggest the next national election, due by 2029, won’t produce a majority for any party.

“So then you’re in the world of, after the election, two or three big minority parties trying to work out how they would govern,” he said — something traditionally considered “very un-British.”

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaking to the media after meeting Labour Party members during a visit to AFC Wimbledon in south London, Saturday May 9, 2026. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA via AP)

First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney with some of the newly elected SNP MSPs in Edinburgh, Saturday May 9, 2026, following the 2026 Holyrood elections. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy meeting Labour Party members during a visit to AFC Wimbledon in south London, Saturday May 9, 2026. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA via AP)

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaking to the media after meeting Labour Party members during a visit to AFC Wimbledon in south London, Saturday May 9, 2026. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA via AP)

Observers from the Scottish National Party (SNP) watch as votes are counted for the 2026 Holyrood elections, at Dewars Centre in Perth, Scotland, Friday May 8, 2026. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage speaks to supporters at Chelmsford City Racecourse, Friday May 8, 2026, in Essex, England, following the 2026 local election results. (Jordan Pettitt/PA via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks to Labour Party members at Kingsdown Methodist Church Hall, in Ealing, west London, Friday May 8, 2026, a day after the local elections. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)