Bear Digest

Bears lose two key starters in unbelievable Wild Card victory

The Chicago Bears will advance to the Divisional Round, but they will be short-handed.
Pete Martuneac|
Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears made history with their unbelievable comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night, and this was one for the ages. You could almost see a weight being lifted from Chicago as the Bears celebrated one of the biggest wins in franchise history. Even the players got silly with it as Caleb Williams and DJ Moore grated cheese to mock the Packers' cheesehead hats.

But there is, unfortunately, quite a bit of bad news to go with this win. Two key starters exited the game with injuries, and those injuries have turned out to be season-ending. Left tackle Ozzy Trapilo injured his patellar tendon and is done for the year, and linebacker T.J. Edwards fractured his fibula and is also done for the year, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

Making matters worse, we're already almost halfway through January. OTAs start in May, and training camp will begin in July. If those injuries linger, it could become an issue as the team prepares for the 2026 season and tries to build on the success of 2025, but that's looking too far ahead.

What matters now is next week, the Divisional Round. We don't know yet who the Bears will face, but these are the NFL playoffs. Whoever it is will be a tough, worthy opponent. Losing your starting left tackle and leader on defense is never ideal, but this is one of the worst possible moments for that to happen. The Bears may be a team of destiny, but even destiny needs some assistance.

Next man up is the law of the NFL land

Luckily, the Bears now have a full week to work two new starters into their gameplan. Theo Benedet, the undrafted rookie who started a few games earlier this season, came in for Trapilo to finish this game, so he will almost certainly get the start next week. That means head coach Ben Johnson needs to be prepared to keep an extra blocker on the left side of the line.

No disrespect meant to Benedet. He's certainly outplayed his status as an undrafted free agent, but he's quite a step down from Trapilo and that will make the offense's job harder.

As for the defense, expect to see some more of D'Marco Jackson. Jackson has already played quite a bit this year, filling in for Edwards during his previous injuries. In that regard, Bears fans should be encouraged that he will at least keep the linebacker unit afloat. Edwards will be missed, but Jackson is a fine backup for another game or two (or three!).

D'Marco Jackso
Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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