Chicago Bears Defense Suffers Two More Brutal Setbacks

The Chicago Bears defense was already feeling the pain going into Tampa Bay. Both of their top nickel cornerbacks, Kyler Gordon and Josh Blackwell, were out with injuries. Considering how weak the defensive line is for this team, the last thing they can afford is losses in the secondary. Well, since the football gods have a sick sense of humor, you can guess what happened next. Before the second quarter had barely begun, both starting safeties Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker left the game with ailments of their own.

The initial belief is Brisker might be suffering from cramps due to the Florida heat. If so, he might be able to return. Jackson is the bigger concern. He missed a large chunk of last season with a foot injury. Now he was knocked out of this game with another. If it's a similar issue, then he could be out for the year again. That would virtually guarantee Jackson has played his last down in a Bears uniform. Truly a horrible way to end what had been such a promising career.

The Chicago Bears are operating short-handed.

With questions along the defensive line, the team was hoping to rely on the secondary to carry the load. That plan is now out the window. They're left relying on Jaylon Johnson and rookie Tyrique Stevenson as their remaining starters. Unsurprisingly, Tampa Bay has been picking on Stevenson in the first half. That doesn't figure to change. One has to feel bad for head coach Matt Eberflus. He's calling the game in place of Alan Williams and is running out of credible pieces to use.

Hopefully, Brisker can return because they need all the help they can get. A loss in Tampa Bay threatens to start a spiral this team may not be able to pull out of. Nobody expected the Chicago Bears to be great this year, but it's becoming apparent they could be bad for another year. Really bad. The big question will be whether that results in another house cleaning, this time by new president Kevin Warren.