Week 1 was difficult for the Chicago Bears. They got beat by their NFC North rivals, the Green Bay Packers, with ease, 38-20. On top of that, the game isn’t the only thing that they lost as a key defensive player looks like he could be headed to the sidelines for a few weeks.
Starting cornerback Kyler Gordon was seen with his hand heavily wrapped after the game. The injury occurred in the third quarter when he blitzed Packers’ quarterback Jordan Love. The injury was bad enough that he was forced from the game.
Now, there is some fear that his absence will go beyond Week 1. According to Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune, there is fear amongst the Bears that Gordon suffered a broken hand during the play.
“I think with Gordon, the fear there is that the right hand is broken,” Biggs said in a September 12 appearance on 670 The Score’s Mully & Haugh Show. “So, you’ve got to determine: Is this a situation where medically they have to do something right away? Will he miss some time? Can he play with a modified club on there? If so, does he need to take a little time off before they go that route? I think they’re trying to sort through all those things.” (H/T Heavy.com)
Losing Gordon would be brutal for the Bears. He has cemented himself as one of the Bears’ key contributors defensively. The improvements that he showed near the end of his rookie season in 2022 were certainly encouraging.
Gordon was off to a strong start in 2023 as well, allowing only one reception for 16 yards on 27 snaps against the Packers. He also made a big play early in the game, getting a pass breakup on a target to Jayden Reed.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus will talk to the media on Wednesday when the team assumes practice. It is assumed, at that point, he will reveal the official diagnosis on Gordon’s hand.
If Gordon has to miss time, as many expect, the team will turn to Josh Blackwell to take over as their slot cornerback. Blackwell is also in his second season in the NFL after being an undrafted free agent in 2022 out of Duke.
