The Chicago Bears schedule over the next few weeks continues to get interesting. Despite their opening day loss, the entire NFC North failed to win in week two. This means they can get right back into the race if they handle their business at home against the Seattle Seahawks. Not only that, but they seem to have encountered some other good fortunes.
Namely on the injury front. For the past three years, it was the Bears who suffered the most health issues. No team was bedeviled by more key roster losses due to health than Chicago. Now, at least for the moment, it seems like that bad fortune has swung towards the rest of the league. This includes several upcoming Bears opponents.
The Seahawks are already going into Monday night without three key starters including Doug Baldwin and Bobby Wagner. Things could be getting even more interesting for the Bears looking towards the slate of games within the next four to six weeks.
Buffalo Bills: LeSean McCoy broke his ribs and Vontae Davis retired
It’s not fun being a Buffalo Bills fan anymore. After the team made the playoffs in 2017, things have gone downhill fast. After a roster purge via trades and retirements this past offseason, the team is lacking talent in many spots and it continues to show as the team was blown out for the second-straight week, this time a 31-20 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
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Vontae Davis has been catching hell from fans and some teammates for retiring during halftime today. I get it. But ask anyone who's ever played in the #NFL and they will tell you the last thing they want is a teammate on the field who's not all in. This move was actually smart. pic.twitter.com/pdxWmMbVPr
— Michael Eaves (@michaeleaves) September 17, 2018
If that weren’t bad enough, they suffered two big losses to their roster along the way. Star running back LeSean McCoy reportedly injured his ribs and is questionable moving forward as to his availability. Adding insult to injury was the fact veteran corner Vontae Davis chose to retire at halftime of the Chargers game, thinning out an already undermanned defense.
Detroit Lions: Darius Slay out with a concussion
Panic is truly starting to set in for the Bears division rival. Most expected the Detroit Lions to be competitive in the NFC North this year. So far that hasn’t seemed like the case. After getting blown out by the Jets at home in the opener, the team was defeated on the road in San Francisco. The defense thus far has given up 78 combined points.
It got even worse when their star cornerback Darius Slay had to leave the game with a concussion. This after Ezekiel Ansah left the game a week ago with an injury of his own. Detroit is a banged-up football team that doesn’t look any better than it was a year ago. If anything their decision to switch coaching staffs has done more harm than good.
Miami Dolphins: Josh Sitton done for year with shoulder issue
The offensive line for the Miami Dolphins was already a major concern before the season began. Things didn’t get much easier when news dropped that their big free agent addition, former Bear Josh Sitton would miss the rest of the season with a torn rotator cuff. Ryan Tannehill, the Dolphins QB, already felt the absence with four sacks against the Jets.
Considering New York has a rather average pass rush, this isn’t a good sign for the future. The Bears will play them in Miami in week six coming out of the bye week. By that point, Khalil Mack should be in shape and up to speed with the new defense. The same goes for Roquan Smith. It could be a big day for them.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Chris Conte leaves game with knee injury
Right now the story for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is the ridiculously hot start for their offense, especially quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick who has seven touchdown passes through his first two games starting in place of Jameis Winston. This has helped them to cover up the fact that the defense continues to have problems, and they’re getting worse.
After giving up 40 points in the opener against New Orleans, Nick Foles put up 334 yards and a touchdown on them despite missing key weapons including Alshon Jeffery. Matters were made worse when starting safety Chris Conte left the game with a knee injury. His status for the matchup against Chicago in week four is in question.
