In the NFL playoffs, it's crucial to stay healthy. Unfortunately, this is not the case for the Chicago Bears as they prepare for their Divisional Round matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards is out for the rest of the season after suffering a fractured fibula in the Bears' electric comeback victory against the Green Bay Packers. There was a lot of excitement in the air in Soldier Field after the Bears' first playoff victory since 2010.
But make no mistake, Edwards will be missed as the Bears attempt to advance to the NFC Championship Game. It hurts even more when you factor inthat Edwards is a hometown hero from Lake Villa, Illinois.
Bears try to make Super Bowl run without T.J. Edwards
A mainstay at linebacker for the Bears, Edwards struggled to stay on the field this season, racking up 67 tackles and a pick-six in 10 starts. Since joining the team in 2023, Edwards has been a tackling machine with 351 stops. He has also formed a solid linebacker duo with Tremaine Edmunds. One of the best off-ball linebackers on the team, Edwards can defend from sideline-to-sideline.
With six playoff games under his belt, including a Super Bowl appearance with the Philadelphia Eagles, an underrated aspect of Edwards being out is his impressive experience, which always comes in handy when the going gets tough in the playoffs.
Even though the loss of Edwards is huge, the NFL is a league where the next man needs to step up and play good football. After Edwards' injury in the second quarter, D'Marco Jackson filled in and is expected to do the same against the Rams, per Bleacher Nation.
Despite being a reserve linebacker and special teams ace for the bulk of his career, the Bears are expecting Jackson to step up in a big way. Thankfully, one silver lining in all this is that Jackson goes way back with Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who was Jackson's head coach during his three-year stay with the New Orleans Saints. Jackson is well acquainted with Allen's defensive scheme and can be plugged into the game easily.
Earlier this season, we saw what Jackson was capable of when given an opportunity. When asked to fill in for an injured Edmunds, Jackson played lights out, finishing the game with an interception and a sack in a 31-3 blowout win over the Cleveland Browns. Jackson was crowned NFC Defensive Player of the Week, and head coach Ben Johnson said his interception was a turning point in the game for the Bears.
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Is a similar outing in store for Jackson? If so, he just might become the Bears unsung hero.