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Bear Digest

Bears Already Catching Injury Break Beyond Micah Parsons' Absence

Green Bay's struggles with health continue and now the Bears offense will be facing a team at Lambeau Field susceptible to the greatest Chicago strength.
Gene Chamberlain|
Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (56) tackles Bears tight end Cole Kmet last regular season at Soldier Field.
Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (56) tackles Bears tight end Cole Kmet last regular season at Soldier Field. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

The health status of Bears running back Kyle Monangai isn't certain yet for the game with Green Bay but the injury news for Sunday's big rivarly renewel at Lambeau Field already seems to be leaning Chicago's way.

Coach Ben Johnson referred to Monangai as "day to day" with his thumb injury but the Packers have a big problem.

The Packers defense was already going to be without superstar edge rusher Micah Parsons because of the knee injury he had late last season, and now they'll be facing the hard-charging Bears running game without their front seven's top tackler.

Weakside linebacker Edgerrin Cooper suffered what was called an Achilles injury on Sunday and is lost for the season. Cooper was the top returning tackler on the Packers defense heading into this season.

They replaced him Sunday with Isaiah McDuffie, a veteran and former starter who started 38 games in his first five seasons. McDuffie also left the game briefly, but it was only for a lost contact lens.

Most teams would have trouble after losing so key of a player to their defense but it can be even tougher for the Packers as they go up against the No. 1 rushing team in the NFL. The Packers already have been better than only three other teams at defending the run this season and have faced the second-most rushing attempts. They're going to see a Bears running attack that had 54 attempts on Sunday in a 232-yard effort against a strong Jets run defense.

When the Packers played the No. 2 rushing team, the Falcons, they were trampled 35-14 and gave up 242 rushing yards.

With their quarterback situation entrusted to backups, it's likely the best way for the Bears to proceed is with another strong emphasis on the ground attack. Balancing it out is always the best way to go in order to keep the defense on its heels. Coach Ben Johnson never needs an invitation to run the ball, though. The Bears lead the NFL in rushing attempts at 39.8, 5.1 over second-place Atlanta.

The Packers' defense, though down the standings in rushing defense overall, do have the ability to stop the run. They went into this week's game as one of the leaders in fewest yards allowed before contact. They just don't make the tackles, and now they've lost their best frontline tackler.

With Caleb Williams out already for this week, the Bears are certain to come in looking to use another conservative game plan to take advantage of perceived Packer weaknesses.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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