Bears Get More Bad News on Kyler Gordon Before Ravens Game
The situation with cornerback Kyler Gordon has gone from bad to worse for the Chicago Bears ahead of Week 8’s road matchup with the Baltimore Ravens.
Gordon popped up on the injury report Thursday after injuring both his groin and calf in practice and spending the day’s session as a limited participant. The Bears then held him out entirely from Friday’s walkthrough before ruling him out for Week 8’s game.
Things grew worse Saturday when the Bears officially placed Gordon on the injured reserve list, meaning he will miss at least the next four games for Chicago’s defense.
The Bears will now play at least their next four games — including Sunday’s road game against the Ravens — without two of their top cornerbacks. Pro Bowl starter Jaylon Johnson underwent core-muscle surgery in September and is out indefinitely on IR.
The Bears also won’t have their other perimeter starter, Tyrique Stevenson, available against the Ravens. Stevenson injured his shoulder early in Week 7’s win over the New Orleans Saints and sat out every practice this week before the team ruled him out.
The Bears (4-2) will kick off against the Ravens (1-5) at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Losing Kyler Gordon Could Cripple Bears’ CB Room
With Gordon now out for a minimum of four games, the Bears are severely depleted at the cornerback position because of injuries and could remain that way for some time, depending on how much time Stevenson winds up missing with his shoulder injury.
The Bears will count Nahshon Wright, Nick McCloud and Josh Blackwell as their top three cornerbacks when they face the Ravens on Sunday. They will also have Jaylon Jones and practice-squad elevation Dallis Flowers available as backups, though the lack of high-level playing experience across the board raises some alarm bells for them.
On the plus side, the Bears won’t have to deal with two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson after the Ravens announced Saturday that he will miss his third straight game with his hamstring injury. The Ravens will start backup Tyler Huntley (11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 26 career games) in his place — a better matchup for Chicago.
Even still, the sudden depletion of depth could force the Bears to consider their options for improving their cornerback room — such as signing a vet — in the coming weeks.
Bears Also Shut Down Braxton Jones With Knee Injury
Gordon is not the only Bear who landed on injured reserve before Week 8’s game.
The Bears also placed offensive tackle Braxton Jones on injured reserve Saturday with a knee injury. He was a limited participant in Wednesday’s first practice before the team downgraded him to a non-participant for the final two sessions to close out the week.
Jones lost his job as the Bears’ starting left tackle when the team benched him for Theo Benedet midway through Week 4’s win over the Dallas Cowboys, but he still provided the Bears with valuable depth and experience at the position before his new injury.
The injury is also likely to diminish — if not completely wipe out — any trade interest Jones may have garnered before the NFL trade deadline at 4 p.m. ET on November 4.
In a corresponding roster move, the Bears signed defensive tackle Jonathan Ford from the practice squad to the 53-man roster after elevating him in each of their past three games. Ford has played 36 defensive snaps this season, but he is less likely to see any playing time now that veteran Grady Jarrett (knee) has been cleared to play again.
NFL Announces Punishment for Chiefs Star in Win Over Raiders
The Kansas City Chiefs‘ offense ran wild all over the Las Vegas Raiders in their 31-0 win in Week 7 over their AFC West rival. Kansas City didn’t have any bad moments in the dominant victory, but one Chiefs player will be a little light in the wallet heading into Week 8.
On October 25, the NFL announced the Gameday Accountability fines for player offenses in Week 7. The schedule of fines is negotiated jointly by the NFL and NFLPA and shared with every player before the season.
When a player is cited for a violation, they have the right to appeal. Appeals are handled by officers, including former NFL players Derrick Brooks, Ramon Foster, or Jordy Nelson, who are appointed and compensated jointly by the NFL and NFLPA.
For the Chiefs, the player who received a fine was Xavier Worthy. According to the NFL, the penalty came from unsportsmanlike conduct, specifically a taunting episode, at the 10:10 mark of the third quarter. As a result, Worthy was fined $11,593 for that incident.
Raiders’ Chip Kelly Under Fire After Loss to Chiefs
Worthy’s fine might be the only blemish that the Chiefs had in that lopsided win. As for the Raiders, they are in their bye week, but that doesn’t mean criticism isn’t coming their way amid their 2-5 record.
According to ESPN, Las Vegas ranks fourth from the bottom in the NFL for passing, averaging just 182.7 yards through the air per game. Only the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and Tennessee Titans have struggled more in the passing department than the Raiders.
The Raiders’ struggles aren’t limited to yardage—Geno Smith has thrown 10 interceptions compared to just seven touchdown passes. While much of the criticism has targeted the veteran quarterback, NBC NFL analyst Chris Simms
“I think Chip Kelly is probably the first guy they’re looking at and go, ‘I don’t know if we should have done that,'”
“His offense is too simple. It’s too easy to figure out. For a guy like [Steve Spagnuolo], he was like, ‘What is this? This is kindergarten stuff for me. I got it.
Ashton Jeanty Gets Honest About Raiders
After Las Vegas stumbled against the Chiefs, Ashton Jeanty addressed the media, offering an honest take on the team’s showing. He kept his comments focused on the squad’s growth, avoiding any blame on Kelly or the game plan.
“Just a terrible performance by us as a team,“ Jeanty said postgame on October 19. “Couldn’t stop them on defense and offense. We couldn’t get going at all. So, you’re going to lose a lot of football games like tha
“We just got to be better. I mean, simple as that. We got to go back, watch the film, can’t point the finger, can’t point a finger at coaches for the scheme or another player for making a mistake. We got to look inward and see how each and every single one of us can get better to make sure that never happens again.”
