Bears fans got a glimpse of Kyler Gordon’s potential after impressive return, but we might have to temper expectations
Kyler Gordon made his long-awaited return to action in Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons and made the most of his limited opportunities.
Chicago Bears slot cornerback Kyler Gordon made his long-awaited return on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons and reminded the entire world (and most importantly the Bears) that when healthy, he is among the best players at his position.
I mean Gordon was absolutely all over the place on Sunday and was a game-wrecker this defense needed. Gordon finished the game with 3.0 sacks (which now leads the defense on the entire season) and had two forced fumbles.
Every time he was on the field, he was making a big play and what’s even crazier is that he only played 17 total snaps in his first game back in action.
“He made a lot of plays, D.A. put him in a great spot and really it takes everybody,” head coach Ben Johnson said on ESPN1000. “We had a good rush plan. Everyone’s unselfish, they’re making sure they hit their spots and Kyler was the one that came free a couple times. The fact that he went after the ball too was huge for us.”
How can the Bears take things to the next level with Kyler Gordon after Week 6?
For starters, the Bears still need to be smart with Gordon’s usage as he eases back into football shape. Sunday was exciting stuff, but the Bears cannot afford to have Gordon suffer any kind of injury setback and can’t overload him too soon.
“We have to make sure we keep him on that right track,” Johnson said on Sunday. “We tried to limit his role just a little bit, just making sure he was in good football shape.”
As for his role on Sunday, it was clear the Bears wanted to lean into Gordon’s strengths as a pass rusher to help make up for the loss of Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo. Of his 17 snaps, Gordon rushed the passer nine times while playing six snaps in pass coverage and two snaps as a run defender, while also playing nine snaps on special teams.
“I think he did some things that we always felt like he can do for us,” defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said. “I’ve always thought that there was a way we could utilize him, that he could really help us win games. We’ll see how things play out moving forward. He was really in a limited role, I would kind of expect something similar (this week) and we’re just getting into the game-plan process now.”
With the next game being three days away on “Thursday Night Football” against the New England Patriots, it’d be hard to expect much more out of Gordon from a usage standpoint compared to what we saw on Sunday. But, with Sweat and Odeyingbo out for Thursday’s game as well, expect to see Gordon continuing to be used heavily as a extra pass rusher when he’s on the field.
“He’s got outstanding quickness and he’s really elusive,” Allen said. “His ability to stutter his feet and then accelerate, or his ability to dip-the-tip and turn the corner, he just has a knack for it and innate ability to find the quarterback. Some guys really have that, and some don’t. I think he does. I think he has a natural instinct for it.”
Going up against Drake Maye on Thursday, the Bears will need Gordon to continue providing that boost rushing the quarterback. However, the Patriots will be more prepared than Atlanta was for what to expect when Gordon’s out there this time around.
We’ll see how Allen adjusts after saying the team will have to “pick and choose those moments” in the upcoming game later this week.
