Chicago’s wild finish in Cincinnati still hung in the air, but the glow did not last long. One day after snapping those long, ugly streaks in a 47-42 thriller, the reality of a battered front returned, and the pass rush depth took another punch.
Per Ian Rapoport, standout edge Dayo Odeyingbo has torn his Achilles and is out for the season. CBS Sports noted that it is the second straight week the Chicago Bears have placed a pass rusher on injured reserve, adding that the Team needed defensive line help even before this, and certainly does now.
The timing could not be worse for a unit that just survived a track meet. Colston Loveland’s last-minute sprint to the end zone masked how hard Chicago had to work to close, and how often the defense has been living on the edge late in games. Odeyingbo’s loss means a snap-share reshuffle and more stress on a rotation already stretched thin.
Short term, that points to internal solutions. Rookie Austin Booker flashed in his season debut with a fourth-quarter strip-sack, the kind of high-motor play that can steal a possession.
Increasing his role, mixing fronts, and leaning on simulated pressure can cover some of the edge void, at least situationally. Practice-squad elevations and game-plan protections, like heavier use of five-man surfaces on early downs, are logical stopgaps.
The bigger question sits outside the building. With back-to-back injuries at the same spot and Chicago clearly in the NFC mix, exploring the market makes sense.
Any addition would likely be a rotational rusher on an expiring contract or a depth piece who can win on third down, rather than a headline move that mortgages draft capital. Price discipline matters, but so does protecting a locker room that just proved it can close a chaotic game.
All of this loops back to complementary football. Caleb Williams delivered the late magic, Kyle Monangai ground out tough yards, and Loveland authored a rookie moment for the ages.
To make wins like that the norm, Chicago needs cleaner four-man pressure and fewer coverage snaps that ask the back end to hold forever. Losing Odeyingbo makes that harder, not impossible.
The front office now has to decide whether internal growth is enough or whether one more edge body is the difference between surviving shootouts and controlling them.
