Chicago Bears' Next Two Opponents Hit With Apocalyptic Setbacks

The Chicago Bears took advantage of a banged-up Los Angeles Rams team to reach 2-2. L.A. was missing both star wide receivers Puke Nacua and Cooper Kupp, along with three starting offensive linemen. It showed. Matthew Stafford was sacked three times, threw an interception, and almost a second one. Chicago now has two games left before the bye week, and they feature opponents that are going through different versions of a full-blown crisis with the season not even half over.

Let's start with the Carolina Panthers. After a resounding victory last week, they crashed back to earth against Cincinnati, falling 34-24. The loss of star linebacker Shaq Thompson to an Achilles tear made it ten times worse. If that weren't bad enough, fellow inside linebacker Josey Jewell injured his hamstring and groin. Both will be out next week. Carolina already lost star defensive tackle Derrick Brown for the season. This makes their already 29th-ranked run defense even more shaky.

The Chicago Bears' good fortune may stretch to Jacksonville, too.

Everybody expected the Jaguars to be one of the tougher games on the schedule. They were in the playoffs two years ago and went 9-8 last year. However, things are rapidly falling apart for them after a 0-4 start. Their offense is 29th in passing and Trevor Lawrence is completing less than 54% of his passes. Defensively, they are 30th in both points and yards allowed. Nothing summed up their deteriorating situation more than head coach Doug Pederson publicly blaming the players for the problems.

Jacksonville has lost nine of its last ten games since last season. It is in a complete freefall and seems unable to stop. Many believe Pederson is on the fast track to getting fired. The Chicago Bears will face them on October 13th in London. If they can take care of business in both games, they reach the bye at 4-2, the Cardinals, Commanders, and Patriots waiting on the other side. If the Bears genuinely believe they are ready to win, they can and should take advantage of this stretch.