Adding injury to insult isn’t how I wanted to spend my day, but a post-game injury record is needed after the Bears’ loss to the Packers last night.
Justin champs
It made my heart skip a beat last night:
Weird to see Justin Fields walking up the Packers tunnel but needs to be examined for something pic.twitter.com/pUJdd4H2cQ
– Lance Allan (@lanceallan) December 13, 2021
Matt Nagy said he was unsure if Justin Fields came out of the game healthy. He said he thought they were looking at his hand. I don’t know if they were doing radios.
– Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) December 13, 2021
But it seems the worst-case scenario has been avoided:
Matt Nagy says Justin Fields’ left hand injury shouldn’t be a major issue. #Bear
– Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) December 13, 2021
Justin Fields really went through it this year. The rookie quarterback took his fair share of hits. And yet, it continues to bounce back. Bless his heart. He’ll need that common sense for the rest of the season.
Jason peters
At a time when he was stepping away from the narrative in an attempt to rebuild Aaron Rodgers’ credibility, Cris Collinsworth asked a cautious question: Where would the Bears be without Jason Peters? The Bears could still be 4-9 without Peters. But I don’t want to think about where Fields would be if Peters didn’t protect his blind side. This is what haunts my dreams.
The 39-year-old tackle has been the team’s best lineman all year. Despite his early hiccups against the Browns, Peters has been formidable. But for a guy who came to town with minimal off-season work and a condensed training camp, Peters was awesome. Unfortunately, Peters injured his ankle in the first quarter, which prompted Teven Jenkins to play left tackle.
Nagy told reporters they were monitoring the situation and that Peters would resume his LT duties if given permission. But there are alternatives in case that doesn’t work:
Jason Peters would return to his starting role as left tackle if he was in good health, said Matt Nagy. But the Bears are still investigating the extent of his ankle injury.
Nagy did not rule out the possibility that Teven Jenkins could see the time on the right tackle. Larry Borom could also play the left tackle.
– Chris Emma (@ CEmma670) December 13, 2021
Roquan smith
On the other side of the ball, the Bears’ most important building block is back in injury protocol:
Matt Nagy said Roquan Smith’s hamstring problem was in the same leg as the initial injury in Detroit.
“We’ll be keeping an eye on it. He just felt something there so we want to be smart there.”
– Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) December 13, 2021
Ugh. The same hamstring injury that caused Roquan Smith problems against the Lions and questioned his status against the Cardinals bothers him again. Smith, who played 100 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in every game except the Thanksgiving showdown in Detroit, had just 72 percent of the defensive snaps against the Packers. Not only should the Bears watch this situation, but they should proceed with caution.
DeAndre Houston-Carson
This one will sting more than you might think otherwise:
Coach Nagy has announced that DeAndre Houston-Carson has a fractured forearm and will need surgery. It will be placed in IR.
– Chicago Bear (@ChicagoBears) December 13, 2021
DeAndre Houston-Carson is on IR with a forearm injury that requires surgery. This puts the all-round defensive back out of action for the remaining games of the season. To complicate matters further, the Houston-Carson injury impacts the Bears on several levels. In addition to being a mainstay of special teams, Houston-Carson has reached a career high in terms of defensive snaps played (419) and percentage of defensive snaps (50%). But that only tells part of the story. Here’s a breakdown of where the Bears have used DHC, with data from Pro Football Focus:
• Security: Safety deposit box (179 saps), free safety (143)
• corner half: Slit (83), Wide (4)
• Defensive forward: Line D (11)
• Special teams coverage: Pies (50), kicks (43)
• return game: Kicks (56), Punts (30)
• Kick: Field goal + PAT block team (59)
The William and Mary product was a revelation. He will certainly be missed in so many different facets of the game.
Tips
These players also suffered injuries last night, and their status should be monitored during this week:
• Khyiris Tonga nose plate (shoulder) is a reserve defensive lineman whose injury status makes him the last in his position pool to be injured. Akiem Hicks’ imminent return would help soften the blow of a loss in depth. But Hicks is recovering from an injury of his own.
• Cornerback Xavier Crawford (concussion) entered a concussion protocol after Eddie Jackson suffered friendly fire. Crawford’s concussion issues came after a blanket burst put him in a bad position – in more ways than one. The Bears have already lost Duke Shelley and will soon lose DeAndre Houston-Carson. Does anyone have cornerback experience? If so, send your resumes to Halas Hall.
