Chicago Bears: 3 things to address during the bye week
Get healthy
Obviously, the defense has been the primary driver behind the Bears’ hot start. Yes, the offense took over the game last Sunday, but the team’s other two wins were a direct result of the defense’s dominance.
However, in previous posts, I have also given credit to another, less quantifiable reason, and that is the health of this team. Bears fans don’t need a reminder about just how injured this team has been over the last couple of years. Each week’s injury report seemed to be filled with key players at critical positions.
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So far this year, things have been drastically different. Whatever changes Ryan Pace and staff made to the training and condition program (beyond the personnel change) are working.
However, this is not to say that there haven’t still been a few injuries, as those are unavoidable over the course of a season. For the Bears, the bye week seems to have come at a good time from the perspective of getting guys healthy.
Last week they were able to get by without Prince Amukamara, and backup Marcus Cooper in the secondary, as well as rookie wide receiver Anthony Miller. All three were inactive due to injuries. The good news is Amukamara’s and Cooper’s injuries (both hamstrings) appear to be fairly minor and the extra week off should get them back to 100 percent.
On the other hand, Miller’s injury — a dislocated left shoulder — could be something that lingers all season, though the good news is it won’t require surgery. With a lot of rest and treatment during the bye, the hope is they can get the blossoming star on the field for their matchup against the Miami Dolphins.