Bears will not be facing Justin Jefferson, hopes to have Kyler Gordon back on Sunday
The Chicago Bears secondary will finally catch a break on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Vikings plan to place reigning Offensive Player of the Year, Justin Jefferson, on the injured reserve. Jefferson suffered a hamstring injury in Week 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs and will be forced […]
The Chicago Bears secondary will finally catch a break on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Vikings plan to place reigning Offensive Player of the Year, Justin Jefferson, on the injured reserve.
Jefferson suffered a hamstring injury in Week 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs and will be forced to miss at least the next four weeks of the season.
That includes Sunday's matchup against the Bears. The Bears secondary has been ravaged by injuries this year and finally have something go their way. The Vikings wide receiver has recorded 585 receiving yards and two touchdowns in six career games against the Bears.
In their last head-to-head matchup in Week 18 last season, Jefferson was held to 4 receptions for 38 yards but was limited to 36 offensive snaps as the team prepared to enter the playoffs. In his first game of 2022 against the Bears, Jefferson totaled tied a career-high 12 receptions that went for 154 receiving yards, per Pro Football Reference.
Jefferson has been a major part of the Vikings offense in 2023, demanding an absurd 38.7 percent of the team's target share in the passing game. In his absence, the team will rely heavily on first-round pick Jordan Addison and speedster K.J. Osborn.
Addison, the 23rd overall pick in the 2023 draft, has had a promising start to his rookie campaign, hauling in 19 receptions for 249 yards and three touchdowns. Last week against the Chiefs, Addison led the team with 64 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Osborn will be another factor for the Bears secondary to game plan for. Osborn has averaged 12.0 yards per reception in his career and is a constant threat to stretch the opposing defense downfield. Five of Osborn's 14 career touchdowns have been over 25+ yards, including a 36 yard score in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Bears secondary also got some great news from inside of their own locker room. Starting nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon has been designed to return from the injured reserve. Gordon has missed the last four games of the season after suffering a broken hand in Week 1's loss to the Green Bay Packers.
This opens a 21-day window for Gordon to return to the active roster. The Bears designed left guard Teven Jenkins to return last week, and he was able to suit up immediately on Thursday against the Commanders. Gordon's availability at practice this week will be important to monitor to determine if he also can make a quick return to action on Sunday.
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