Eberflus announces both starting tackles, Brisker out against Patriots |
CHICAGO - Injuries are really hitting the offensive line. Three members of the line, including both tackles, Braxton Jones (knee) and Darnell Wright (knee), are out for Chicago’s game against the New England Patriots this coming Sunday (Noon / FOX).
Rookie offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie (calf) is also out, as well as safety Jaquan Brisker (concussion). The Bears' one bright side is that head coach Matt Eberflus said offensive lineman Ryan Bates will return in this game despite being listed as questionable on the injury report. “(Brisker) will be out for this game … Braxton also and then Darnell Wright, the two tackles, are out this week. Just didn’t have enough time to get back to where we needed them to be. (Bates) will be activated. He’s going to be activated, so it’s going to be good to have some depth in there and some different pieces in there,” Eberflus said. “Obviously, with our injuries, we’re going to need that for sure. But in terms of the o-line depth, I know that will be a question. We had different combinations during the course of the week. We worked on those and I’m not going to say who’s going to line up where and all those things, but we had a couple good combinations there and guys have worked well in there with the reps that they’ve had. It’s been good.” Being without both tackles is concerning for the Bears, who gave up six sacks last week. However, there is a noticeable difference in how they perform offensively on the road versus at home. Chicago’s game against New England is in Soldier Field; they have only given up nine sacks at home. So, perhaps the offensive line can step up in this game to keep the Bears undefeated at home. Eberflus has confidence in the depth of his team going into this game. “It doesn’t happen very often, that’s for sure. But again, you got to adjust. You got to adapt. You got to overcome those adversities and the only way you can do that is the people in the building. You just rally around each other,” Eberflus said. “It’s really about helping everybody around you and we have to do that going forward.” The Bears may need to rely on their defense to win this game. However, they have struggled in the run game and have given up some chunk plays, including a 52-yard hail mary against the Washington Commanders and a 53-yard rushing touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals. Eberflus said the problem is consistency, but the team has worked to improve that in practice this week. “We’ve had some (chunk) plays that put the yards up, so we just got to be more consistent,” Eberflus said. “We got to be more consistent and the guys have worked their tails off in terms of that in terms of the run game this week and they’re excited about this performance coming up.” Edge rusher Montez Sweat's absence last week against Arizona certainly did not help. Luckily for the Bears, he is not on the final injury report. However, defensive lineman Darrell Taylor did not participate in practice on Friday and is questionable, while linebacker Noah Sewell is also questionable. Regardless of who plays, Chicago will need the defense to play its best against rookie quarterback Drake Maye. Maye is coming off a strong performance against the Tennessee Titans, where he had 95 rushing yards and a touchdown pass. “The operation (Maye)’s been in there, his two-minute operation’s been good. He’s done a really good job with that. He’s used his legs when appropriate. He had a lot of yards (last week),” Eberflus said. “He’s done a good job with that. So, he’s a young player, just like a lot of the young quarterbacks that are playing in the league this year. There’s a bunch of them drafted and he’s learning as he’s going there. But, he’s impressive.”
