“BREAKING NEWS: Chicago Bears Facing Injury Setback, Will Be Without Key O-Line Starters Against Patriots”
The Bears will take on the Patriots at Soldier Field this Sunday without their starting offensive tackles.
Left tackle Braxton Jones (knee), who didn’t practice on Wednesday or Friday, will miss his second game after injuring his knee on October 27 against the Commanders. Right tackle Darnell Wright (knee) was also sidelined in the fourth quarter last Sunday in Arizona and didn’t practice this week. Coach Matt Eberflus mentioned that Jones and Wright “just didn’t have enough time to get back to where we needed them to be.”
In addition, backup tackle Kiran Amegadjie (calf) was ruled out after not practicing all week. However, the Bears will have veteran guard/center Ryan Bates back. Eberflus announced on Friday that Bates will be activated from injured reserve before Sunday’s game.
“He’s going to be activated, so it’s good to have more depth and options,” Eberflus said. “With our injuries, we’ll definitely need that.”
Bates, who was put on IR on September 15 after splitting right guard reps with Nate Davis in the season opener against the Titans, shared he’s eager to be back. This was his first stint on IR, and he admitted he was “driving himself crazy” waiting to return.
“I feel great,” Bates said. “It’s good to be back playing football.”