Things just seem to keep getting worse for the Chicago Bears offense. In a calendar year where they’ve had a lot of rock bottoms, their latest came on Monday Night Football in Los Angeles. The fast and aggressive Rams were all over them the entire night. Nick Foles was sacked four times and intercepted twice. On top of all that? Injuries struck more key players. Hence why talks of reserves like Riley Ridley are ramping up.
The big news out of that game is the status of star receiver Allen Robinson. He left the game with an apparent concussion. Head coach Matt Nagy has since confirmed the receiver is in the protocol. This puts his status for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints very much in question. Along with him is center Cody Whitehair who left the game with a calf injury.
Those are probably the Bears’ two best offensive players.
Not ideal considering this group ranks 29th in the NFL already. Nagy made it clear the younger guys will have to step up. If Whitehair is out, former undrafted free agent Sam Mustipher is expected to take his place. As for Robinson, his absence virtually guarantees the former 4th round pick Ridley will finally see the field this year.
Allen Robinson is in the concussion protocol per Bears head coach Matt Nagy.
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) October 28, 2020
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Riley Ridley has a big opportunity ahead
The Bears coaching staff really talked up Ridley’s progress in training camp. Reports from beat writers watching practice seemed to confirm this. The young man was making strides. Some wondered if he’d crack the final roster though given the depth the team had built up. After a tight competition with Javon Wims, both of them ended up making it.
However, Ridley has remained inactive on game days since the opener last month. His lack of value on special teams no doubt playing a part in that decision. With Robinson possibly out, things have changed. The Bears will need somebody to help fill that void. Ridley has the bigger body and wide catch radius similar to Robinson. Elevating him makes sense.
Can he take advantage of this chance?
Last year a lot of draft experts loved the Bears’ pick of Ridley. They felt that given some time he had the potential to become a quality starting receiver in the NFL. He didn’t see a lot of action though save for the season finale in Minnesota where he made three catches for 54 yards including a clutch one on 4th down to extend the game-winning drive.
Of course, that was against the Vikings’ backups. So it’s hard to tell whether he could be as effective against starters. The truth is the Bears won’t know until they give him significant snaps in a game. He’s only played more than 30 twice. That figures to change on Sunday.
New Orleans is always a tough opponent and everybody remembers what they did to the Bears last year at Soldier Field. How lost the offense looked at times. Finding a way to get revenge this time could be a gigantic boost of confidence for a struggling team.