The Chicago Bears' first injury report of the week was a concerning one. When Bears fans saw the long list of injuries on Wednesday, the idea of being severely short-handed against the Ravens became a real possibility. DJ Moore, Cole Kmet, D'Andre Swift, and Roschon Johnson had not participated in Wednesday's practice. On Thursday, however, the Bears got better news, with Swift and Moore returning to action, per the team's official injury report.
Swift and Moore are still not out of the woods, as they were only limited participants. But since they were able to finish the game in Week 7, the fact that they are trending in the right direction should be enough for Bears fans to feel good about their chances of suiting up.
Bears Offense Is Trending Toward Having Its Key Playmakers Back
After the Ravens' injury report on Thursday, this is a much-needed development for the Bears. Baltimore is expected to have their full complement of starters back and healthy following their bye week, including star QB Lamar Jackson. This will put a lot more pressure on the offense as the Ravens will surely put up points on the board. The Bears have to match the dynamism of the Jackson-led Ravens team, and they need as many of their playmakers available as possible to do so.
Caleb Williams may still be under fire, but the Bears' offense has looked better since the bye week. They put up two of their best running games in back-to-back games. Swift and rookie Kyle Monangai put on a show against the Saints, going over 200 rushing yards and scoring two touchdowns. Moore has been below his standard in the first six weeks, but the Bears still need him to be out there to be at their best, especially to unlock the rushing attack.
Despite winning four straight, HC Ben Johnson wasn't particularly happy with the offense after Week 7. He said that the offense wasn't complementing the defense and wasn't taking full advantage of the defense's takeaways, before adding that they "haven't hit [their] stride yet offensively," per Bears Wire's Mike Pendleton. This may at first seem like a surprising comment considering that the Bears rank 12th in offense and only 25th in defense so far, but Bears fans know all too well about the feeling that the offense is leaving way too much on the table despite the win streak.
Getting at least some of your key playmakers back in Week 8 will go a long way in trying to get the offense to hit its stride. Going toe-to-toe against Lamar Jackson with his back against the wall will certainly be a tough challenge.