Bears' Injuries Create Unique Challenge Against Bengals
An ongoing issue for the Chicago Bears throughout this preseason has been injuries, nobody is denying that. But this Saturday, they face a unique challenge in the preseason, having to face a team that is far healthier than their own. As the list of injuries for the Bears has grown, the Bengals remain healthy in comparison.
Cincinnati has 5 players listed as questionable heading into Saturday's game, while Chicago has 8 questionable, 3 IR, 5 PUP-P, and 1 out (17 players total). That is a 12 player difference!
Comparison to the Rest of the League
Rotowire calculated and ranked teams based on the quantity of injuries and the impact of those injuries. Those factors include if the player is a starter, duration of injury, and how they are currently listed on the roster (questionable, IR, PUP-P, etc.).
According to Rotowires injury tracker, the Bears are tied with Cleveland at 5th as the most injured team in the NFL, while Cincinnati is ranked at 31. The last time the tracker was updated was August 17th, so the Bear's ranking is likely to change, and Cincinnati is likely going to be in the same spot.
Even though this is a preseason game, a win for the Bears will tell us a lot about the depth and grit of the team.
Bears vs Bengals: Offense
As of right now, the Bengals have zero injuries on offense, which is a huge difference maker heading into this game. The Bears will be tested on defense this game due to this fact. However, like the Bengals, the majority of the injuries the Bears have listed are on defense.
Due to both teams having most (or in Cincinnati's case all) of their injuries on defense, it gives offensive players that typically don't start to get good game reps in. The Bengals have an edge at the QB position with the Bears being down Bagent, who has been Coach Johnson's go-to-guy. Being down Mongai and Burden III at RB and WR also hurts.
Good news for the Bears though is that their offensive line has not sustained injuries so far. The majority of Cincinnati's injuries are on the front of the defense. This will relieve some pressure for the Bears on the offensive line.
Bears vs Bengals: Defense
There is going to be a lot of pressure for the defense to perform against Cicinnati with the sustained injuries. Since the majority of Chicago's injuries are on defense, they are going to be heavily reliant on the depth, especially in the back field. 4 of the Bears' injuries are at the CB position and 3 of them are Safeties.
Cincinnati has a lot of depth at WR, so coverage in the back field will be the most tested part of the defense. That is not even considering the fact that Cincinnati has had trouble protecting Burrow on the OL since he has been there. Cincinnati is aware of this problem, and players got into a scuffle after Odeyingbo made contact with Burrow, including Ja'Marr Chase.
Speaking of Ja'Marr Chase, he was being covered very well by Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson. This is a great sign for concerns in the back field since they were consistently covering Chase, who is regarded as one of the best receivers in the league.
Summary
This is a preseason game, so the outcome is not necessarily going to effect where the Bears are going to be at in the playoffs or regular season. However, this is an opportunity to see the team get tested before the season starts. It is going to test the depth and adversity of Chicago, and truly prepare them for the regular season onward.
The Bears are going to be tested at some positions more than others due to the quantity of injuries varying at each position. Nonetheless, going up against a solid Bengals squad that also happens to be the second healthiest team in the NFL is going to test the Bears.
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