The Chicago Bears are sitting at 3-2, but the mood around the team changed quickly after their Week 5 loss to the Green Bay Packers. The record still looks respectable on paper. The issues underneath it are harder to ignore.
Injuries have started to stack up, and the defense has become the biggest worry. It has been leaking production, especially against the pass, and the Bears badly need help before the trade deadline. Now the situation has taken another hit.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the NFL has suspended edge rusher Montez Sweat for two games for violating the league’s PED policy.
"Bears edge Montez Sweat has been suspended for the club's next two games without pay for violating the NFL's Performance-Enhancing Substance Policy, per The NFL," Rapoport reports.
That’s a major loss for a defense that already looked vulnerable. In Week 5, the Packers and Jordan Love had too much room to work down the field, and the pass rush never consistently solved the problem. Sweat was the best answer the Bears had in that area, and now he’s out.
The timing makes it even tougher. Chicago is set to face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6, then turn around for a Thursday Night Football meeting with the New England Patriots in Week 7. Both games will come without their top pass rusher.
There is some possibility that Caleb Williams returns for Week 6, but the bigger picture hasn’t changed. The Bears now have to navigate the next two weeks with one of their most important defensive pieces unavailable, and that puts even more pressure on the offense to carry the load, whether Williams is back or Ben Johnson turns to a backup.
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Packers Suddenly Have A Trade Deadline Debate They Cant Ignore
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Among the names being floated are Cody Barton, Donte Jackson, Daron Payne and Landon Dickerson, each tied to a different area of need and each bringing a different price point and level of availability. Dickerson is the most intriguing of the bunch because of his status, and that is where the Packers' debate gets interesting - whether to chase help now, or wait and see how the board breaks as the deadline gets closer. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Still Have A Real Problem At Left Guard vs Lions
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Banks has returned to limited practice, which at least suggests progress, but there is still no confirmed timetable for his return. For a Packers offense preparing to face Detroit, that uncertainty matters, because the left guard spot has become one of the few unresolved questions in an otherwise important stretch of the season. [Read more 🡒]