Bears lose key defender for the remainder of the season
The Chicago Bears will be without one of their top defenders and veteran leaders for the remainder of the 2023 season. Bears head coach Matt Eberflus announced on Wednesday that defensive end Yannick Ngakoue suffered a broken ankle in the team's Week 14 win over the Detroit Lions and will be placed on the season-ending […]
The Chicago Bears will be without one of their top defenders and veteran leaders for the remainder of the 2023 season.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus announced on Wednesday that defensive end Yannick Ngakoue suffered a broken ankle in the team's Week 14 win over the Detroit Lions and will be placed on the season-ending injured reserve.
Ngakoue leads the Bears with 4.0 sacks along with having seven QB hits and six tackles for a loss in 2023.
The Bears signed Ngakoue to a one year, $10.5 million contract back in August prior to the start of the season. The eight-year veteran totaled 8+ sacks in each season of his career in the NFL prior to 2023.
"I just want to complement him on being a true pro," Eberflus said while speaking with the media. "He really helped our young guys the entire year. I really appreciate him being a great teammate."
Ngakoue had one sack and three combined tackles in Week 14 against the Lions prior to the injury. Eberflus noted the injury occurred during one of the team's last two minute drives and the injury will require surgery.
The Bears added defensive end Montez Sweat to the pass rush unit at the 2023 NFL trade deadline which helped open things up for the entire defense. Ngakoue recorded two of his four sacks since Sweat joined the team in Week 9.
Sweat will have to step up in Ngakoue's absence over the final four games of the season, as will the other young pass rushers on the team.
"It's an opportunity for some other guys," Eberflus explained. "We've been rotating a lot of guys in there and for me, it's about finding the right combination."
Outside of Sweat, Rasheem Green (2.0), DeMarcus Walker (1.5), and Dominique Robinson (0.5) are the only other defensive ends with a recorded sack on the season.
Green and Walker have been rotating in and out of the defensive line while Robinson has been a healthy inactive during the last six games of the season. We'll see just how the Bears plan to cope with the unexpected loss on Sunday.
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