Injury Luck May Have Just Swung The Chicago Bears' Way

Few things can determine the outcome of an NFL season more than health. Injuries are a killer if they hit the right areas. The Chicago Bears have already been on the mercy of such setbacks. They went into Monday night with three of their best defenders, including their two best cornerbacks. Unfortunately, that ended up costing them in the 4th quarter. Thankfully, they didn't come away with any further losses in that game, meaning they should be at least at the same strength going into a pivotal road game in Detroit.

Here is where the news starts brightening. For one, Jaylon Johnson returned to practicing in full. That is a good sign for his availability on Sunday. T.J. Edwards also returned to practice in a limited fashion, offering hope he can bolster their linebacking corps. It gets more interesting when you look at the Lions' situation. Two key players did not practice on Wednesday.

Losing Jack Campbell hurts enough with Detroit's run defense. The idea of not having Taylor Decker after how much Detroit struggled protecting Jared Goff last week is a serious concern. On top of that, news broke that the Dallas Cowboys will be without All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland for the next few weeks from a foot injury. The Bears play them in week three.

The Chicago Bears must take advantage of this upcoming stretch.

Detroit is always tough. They swept this team last year. Still, the Chicago Bears already know they can play the Lions tough in that building. Having Johnson in charge should give them an edge since he knows that team so well. Dallas' defense was already questionable after losing Micah Parsons before the season. Now they won't have Bland either. If the Bears can win those games, they'll face the Las Vegas Raiders with a chance to hit the bye week on a win streak. After that, things get much tougher with Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Washington looming. Injuries alone won't hand this team victories. They merely provide an opportunity to take advantage. That isn't something the Bears have been good at in years past. We should know a lot about where this team is headed by the end of September.