While the Chicago Bears' defense has looked dominant so far this season, their offense continues to lose players. Already having quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and receiver Taylor Gabriel sit out games, the Bears announced Sunday morning that they were placing offensive lineman Kyle Long on injured reserve.
The #Bears are likely to place standout OL Kyle Long on Injured Reserve, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo. The team’s O-line has struggled and they make a major move based on health.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 13, 2019
The Chicago offensive line has struggled up to this point in protecting their quarterback and giving their running backs open lanes to run. The Bears currently sit in the middle of the pack in terms of sacks allowed per game with 2.6.
Long was one of the reliable pieces on that offensive line and it will hurt to lose him. Before Long was put on IR's Chicago ranked 26th in rushing yards per game. While some of the blame does belong on the running backs failing to hit the open holes, it is the O-line's duty to create and keep those holes open long enough.
While Long was recently in the news for making an unexpected cameo in Tarik Cohen Instagram Live video while he was changing in the locker room, he meant much more on the field blocking for the running back than off the field.
While the Bears hope to get some players healthy during this bye week, it most definitely did not start off with good news. Chicago is still in contention for a playoff spot, but their road just got a bit harder.
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