The Chicago Bears have already locked up the NFC North title, which took some of the sting out of their 42-38 defeat against the San Francisco 49ers. Ben Johnson and his squad need to focus on getting healthy so that they can make a deep run in the 2025-26 postseason.
Unfortunately, Chicago was unable to make it out of their back-and-forth duel with San Francisco as unscathed as they would have liked. Linebacker Noah Sewell, who has started nine games for Chicago this season, may have suffered the most devastating injury a football player can.
Sewell is believed to have torn his Achilles in Week 17. Should this be confirmed, not only will Sewell be out for the Bears' push for a championship, but he will likely miss a big portion of the 2026 season as well. Simply put, this is nothing short of a crushing blow for Sewell.
Bears LB Noah Sewell believed to have suffered torn Achilles in Week 17
Sewell has been a bit of a mixed bag with the Bears. While he has emerged as a solid run-stuffing thumper between the tackles, his poor coverage skills (85th out of 86 qualified linebackers by PFF) have made him a very limited player who can succeed if he is put in a specific role in Dennis Allen's defense.
Sewell has had a bit of a problem staying healthy in his career. After suiting up in 22 of 34 games during his first two seasons due to knee ailments, the Oregon product has missed time this year due to elbow injuries and concussions, all while leaving several more games in the middle of the contest with bumps and bruises.
The one silver lining for the Bears is the fact that they have some of the best linebacker depth and talent in the NFC. Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards are still in the middle of this defense, and with former NFC Defensive Player of the Week D'Marco Jackson now ready to take an elevated role, Chicago can keep chugging along.
Read more: Breece Hall is just begging the Bears to sign him in free agency
Losing a young player like Sewell, who was just starting to find a home in Allen's defense, to an injury as serious as this stings, as it seems likely he will miss time in 2026 as well. Bears fans can only hope he is as effective when he returns to full health as he was before the tear.