As the Chicago Bears go into a Wild Card matchup with the Green Bay Packers, there are a couple of looming concerns from the fan base. One of them, admittedly, is the offense's inability to start fast.
But, on the other side of the ball, this Bears defense has given up far too many chunk plays over the course of the season. It hasn't mattered who has played or at what position. This defense remains a bottom-five unit in terms of yards allowed.
Just in time for the playoffs, though, it appears the Chicago defense is set to get a versatile piece back in the fold: slot cornerback Kyler Gordon.
When asked about how the defense will plan for Green Bay this week, in reference to the potential of having Gordon back, the defensive coordinator responded simply to the media:
“Our plan is to have him part of it.”
Kyler Gordon looks set to return for the Bears at just the right time
This comes at a brilliant time, especially after last week's injury scare to CJ Gardner-Johnson. It ended up being a concussion, and there's no long-term concern for Gardner-Johnson, but his status is up in the air for this week's game.
In light of that injury situation, it is absolute perfect timing for the Bears to be able to get Gordon back. He gives Chicago a slightly different feel in the slot. With his being even quicker than Gardner-Johnson, Gordon is more lethal on a blitz.
Gordon has also been much more of a ball hawk. His instinctual skills are even higher than Gardner-Johnson's when he's healthy, and that's saying something, because Gardner-Johnson is a defensive weapon in his own right.
This defense has needed a spark, though. Gordon can't play defensive end, so the pass rush doesn't necessarily get a wholesome boost. But maybe his energy and ability to cover so much ground will give this unit a lift.
Having missed 14 games this year, Gordon has certainly come up in conversations about having become "injury prone." Head coach Ben Johnson has sounded a little irritated that he hasn't been able to have Gordon on multiple occasions this year, but then again, we don't know what's gone on behind the scenes.
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Hopefully, for both the Bears' and Gordon's sake, he's taken his rehab to another level and has taken the time to get his body right before coming back. The Bears need him.