Cubs News: Eberflus provides injury updates, talks defending Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones |
CHICAGO—The Chicago Bears' injury report is shorter than it has been in a while, a sign that they are getting healthier.
However, two of the four players who were unable to practice on Wednesday were offensive linemen - Ryan Bates and rookie Kiran Amegadjie - while offensive lineman Teven Jenkins was limited. “Ryan Bates is still in the concussion protocol. (Safety) Elijah Hicks is still dealing with his ankle, give that another day (and) see where that’s at,” head coach Matt Eberflus said. “(Running back D’Andre) Swift with the groin. (He was) out (Wednesday), giving that another day to rest. We’ll see where that goes as we work into tomorrow. Teven Jenkins (was) back (Wednesday) in a limited fashion. (He got) some reps and team reps and also (did) some individual.” Swift's inclusion on the injury report was more surprising. It is unclear when he suffered this injury. However, Eberflus appears to be hopeful that Swift will be available this coming Sunday when the Chicago Bears play their second division game of the season against the Minnesota Vikings (Noon / FOX). “Just a little bit of a groin strain. We got to give him some rest,” Eberflus said. “Those guys torque their legs and they do a really good job and he’s a high-twitch guy, so we just got to do a really good job of resting him the next day or two to make sure he’s ready to go.” The Vikings are one of three teams the Bears have faced over 100 times. However, this is another rivalry Chicago is on the losing end of, as they have lost 66 of 125 games against Minnesota. The last division win the Bears had was against the Vikings in November of last season, ending a five-game losing streak against them. This could be a sign that Chicago has figured out how to win against defensive coordinator Brian Flores and his blitz-heavy defense. For the second consecutive year, Minnesota is one of the best-run defenses in the league but has one of the worst pass defenses. With rookie quarterback Caleb Williams coming off a promising game against the Green Bay Packers and his previous success against the blitz, Williams could lead the Bears to their first win since Sunday, Oct. 13, in London. “It starts with his natural ability. His natural ability is to get the ball out fast. Some players (don’t) have that ability. They (take) it, their release is slow. But, his is very fast. So, I think that helps him,” Eberflus said. “The recognition and the way we set it up on offense, I think, will help him also, and it’s just identifying it before the snap, but also it’s natural ability to get the ball out.” Offensively, the Vikings pose challenges to Chicago’s defense. The Bears' run defense has been struggling while running back Aaron Jones has been doing well in his first season with Minnesota after spending the previous seven seasons with the Packers. In the 13 games Jones has played against Chicago, he averages 54.8 rushing yards per game, which is the fewest of any team he has faced more than five times. Jefferson is on track to be a Hall of Famer by the time he finishes his NFL career. He is on another tear this year with an average of 91.2 yards per game; if he had at least 88 receiving yards against the Bears, that would put him at 1,000 yards for the season. In the six times he has played against Chicago, he averages 97.5 yards per game but only has two touchdown receptions. In fact, in his 25 games in outdoor stadiums, he only has eight touchdowns. “Minnesota creates with their personnel some things that you have to work (with) and against in terms of our defense with (wide receiver Justin) Jefferson, (running back Aaron) Jones out of the backfield,” Eberflus said. “So, that creates some things that you have to do in terms of taking those guys away or attempting to do that and our guys are working through that (as) well.”
