Coming off a gutting loss to the MInnesota Vikings in Week 2, for more than a few reasons, the Chicago Bears now face an uncertain immediate future with quarterback Caleb Williams suffering a hamstring injury.
It could have been worse. But what's the latest?
Let's get into your midweek Bears news, some awards and a few key injury updates as Chicago heads into a Week 3 Monday Night Football matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.
- Week 2 Bears Awards
- Caleb Williams injury update
- No, this isn't a joke: Tyson Bagent injury update
- Must-read Bears quotes
- Must-read Bears stories from around the web
Week 2 Bears Awards
Award | Player |
|---|---|
MVP of the Week | Dillon Thieneman, S |
Under-the-Radar Gem of the Week | Malik Muhammad, CB |
Dud of the Week | Jaylon Johnson, CB |
Pleasant Surprise of the Week | Dayo Odeyingbo, DE |
Big Red Flag of the Week | Sam Roush, TE |
Dillon Thieneman was everywhere against the Vikings. He had his nose in so many plays, and thus, led the Bears with seven total tackles and added a pass breakup as well.
His fellow rookie, Malik Muhammad, became the first Bears rookie defensive back, ever, to record a sack and an interception in his first two games. Muhammad has been a revelation at nickel.
After his sarcasm with the media in regards to covering Justin Jefferson, corner Jaylon Johnson was burned a couple of times. This game was in the rain, too, so I would imagine if Jefferson had sunny weather with a perfect field, it could have been way worse. Carson Wentz missed Jefferson on what would've been a touchdown on a play where Johnson looked to give up and have absolutely zero chance on closing the gap with the Vikings wideout.
Dayo Odeyingbo came through with his first sack of the year and played a pretty good football game. The Bears need more from their defensive line.
Finally, there's way too much to say about Sam Roush, so I wrote all of the words here.
In short: Roush has been putrid.
Caleb Williams injury update
Bears fans breathed a sigh of relief Monday morning when Tom Pelissero originally reported the news that Caleb Williams avoided any serious damage to his hamstring.
Now, that doesn't mean Williams is out of the woods.
Head coach Ben Johnson then went on ESPN 1000 and alluded to the idea that Williams would likely miss some time.
Williams will not practice this week, but the Bears have yet to rule him out for Week 3.
By most accounts, Williams is best to sit out at least Week 3, if not longer. However, we'll find out as the days go by.
No, this isn't a joke: Tyson Bagent injury update
No, seriously. Really.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Bears backup quarterback Tyson Bagent is in the concussion protocol.
Per league rules, Bagent must miss a minimum of five days. It is currently unclear what that timeline looks like, but if we're simply judging from when the news was released (Tuesday), then that could mean Bagent could return to practice and/or team activities by Sunday.
With the Bears playing on Monday Night Football, this gives Bagent some extra time and the potential to suit up and play.
If not, it'll be Case Keenum.
Must-read Bears quotes
Ben Johnson on Caleb Williams' injury status:
"This guy's a little bit different than the average human being ... I'm not putting a timeline on this. We're saying he's week-to-week. He's going to attack this." (via CHGO)
Jonah Jackson on finding out Caleb Williams avoided serious damage:
"It's definitely great to know your brother is going to be alright, but we got two other guys in that room that are fully capable of doing that job. No other guy to have them ready than Ben Johnson. So, we'll be alright." (via Chris Emma)
Luther Burden III on Soldier Field conditions:
“It’s Chicago football, man. We expect it. Don’t matter the conditions, we gotta play to our standard.” (via CHGO)
Must-read Bears stories from around the web
NFL World comes to Caleb Williams' defense after injury (Bears Wire)
It's the story of the week. Caleb Williams' injury had plenty of folks around the league coming to his defense and offering up their thoughts, prayers and love after watching him go down.
Week 3 NFL Power Rankings (FanSided)
NFL insider Jason La Canfora has the Bears dropping six spots from no. 6 to no. 12 overall.
Maxx Crosby defends Caleb Williams (Podcast Clip)
This isn't an article, but Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby sent some love to Caleb Williams in his defense this week.
Read more: Caleb Williams critics like Craig Carton and Dave Portnoy prove what's wrong with America
"Everyone has an opinion about, 'oh why did he react this way?' to this certain type of thing. [They] might never have pulled a hammy in their life ... I've had one hammy thing a while back, and that s*** will freak you the f*** out when it first happens. So, in his head he's probably imagined like, 'oh s***. Something really bad just happened.' and you have all these emotions and things going on."
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