For a couple of months, I firmly held the belief that Kyler Gordon would never play another snap for the Chicago Bears.
The signs kept coming. The vibes were at an all-time low. The coaching staff refused to even acknowledge him during time with the media. He was away from the team. We didn't get a shred of an update for the longest time.
And then, Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons happened and all of that became meaningless.
I was wrong about Kyler Gordon.
Kyler Gordon proved every doubter wrong with his long-awaited return to the field
He hadn't suited up for an NFL game since November 28 of last year, and even that came after missing five games previously. Gordon only appeared in three games last season. Injuries became the only storyline, and for far too long.
It had been 324 days since we saw Gordon on the field in a Bears uniform. Quite frankly, I thought that would be the last time. I had every reason to believe so.
But, when the Bears activated him prior to their Week 6 tilt in Atlanta, I was ready to be proven wrong.
"Proven wrong" would have been Gordon coming out and playing a few snaps, getting his feet wet and easing himself back into the fold.
Gordon didn't just prove me wrong. He made me look like a complete fool -- and boy am I glad to be able to say that.
Dennis Allen deployed Gordon on a limited snap count against the Falcons, but almost every snap he was on the field, he made a significant impact.
Gordon finished with a ridiculous 3.0 sacks on the day, with two of them being strip sacks of Michael Penix Jr.
Those three sacks made history, too, as Gordon tied the all-time NFL record, for sacks in a game, by a cornerback.
This performance came on a day when the Bears were without a few defensive starters in Tyrique Stevenson, T.J. Edwards, Dayo Odeyingbo, and Montez Sweat. They needed somebody to step up.
The Bears were going up against a Falcons offense that has two of the scariest playmakers in the game, with one of them in line to be a strong NFL Offensive Player of the Year finalist in Bijan Robinson; the other, Drake London.
There were likely a good amount of Bears fans worried about containing the Falcons' offense, which this defense was able to do for the vast majority of the afternoon.
Gordon's playmaking ability brings an unquestioned energy to this group. When he's on the field, he makes the game infectious.
Read more: Bears Week 6 inactives: Caleb Williams is officially active vs. Falcons
Needless to say, the Bears needed Gordon's energy and big plays on this day, and he delivered in dramatic fashion.
Add us as a preferred source on Google