The Chicago Bears know a thing or two about injury issues. They were plagued by them most of last season, especially on defense. It’s been much the same this year. Dayo Odeyingbo landed on Injured Reserve with a quad injury, joining Coby Bryant, who’s been out for months. T.J. Edwards and Tyrique Stevenson are ailing with hamstring problems. It isn’t much better on the offense. Kyle Monangai missed the past two games with turf toe. Now Jonah Jackson is ailing with a hip problem.
It’s a tough situation to be in. Incredibly, the Bears might have it pretty easy. Their upcoming opponent on Thursday night, the New England Patriots, has it significantly worse. They were already banged up going into Sunday against the New York Jets, and the casualties kept mounting. Not only did they lose leading receiver Rome Doubs, but three of their offensive linemen also left the game and didn’t return. It’s so bad that they could be without 7 starters and two primary backups going into this game.
Most of them are on offense.
The Chicago Bears have an opportunity in front of them.
All of the losses hurt for New England, but the two that could impact them the most are Doubs and Alijah Vera-Tucker. Doubs was leading the team in receiving, stepping up big for the struggling A.J. Brown. He was already placed on Injured Reserve. Vera-Tucker is their most experienced and reliable guard. He’s not looking likely because of a hamstring problem. This could create tons of confusion along the interior, which is a vital component of their protection for quarterback Drake Maye.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
That is a bad thing. The Patriots have managed to control games thanks to a better rushing attack this season. Losing two guards and maybe your right tackle makes that so much harder. Getting into 3rd-and-long situations against the Chicago Bears has been a nightmare this season. New England has managed to avoid it a lot this year because of the running game. As good as Maye is, he tends to start taking sacks if forced into obvious passing situations.
This game will be a huge test.
Despite their health issues, New England remains a well-coached team. They have a top-10 defense and a top-10 quarterback. That combination makes you difficult to beat. Chicago will be at home. Ben Johnson tends to be pretty good on short turnarounds, holding a 3-1 record in such games. If the Bears play as they did on Sunday against Atlanta, they have a good chance to topple the reigning AFC champions. That would certainly send a message to the rest of the league.
The quarterbacks will decide this game. Can Caleb Williams find holes against that tough Patriots unit? Can the Bears do enough to confuse Maye? Chicago will learn a lot about themselves either way. Good teams usually find ways to exploit opposing weaknesses. The Patriots have their fair share, especially on a short week. This should be a game the Bears win under such circumstances.
