Chicago Bears’ shorthanded secondary suffers 2 more injuries vs. Buccaneers

The Chicago Bears entered their Week 9 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers down cornerback Malik Muhammad. Amid the battle, the Bears saw their secondary shrink even further.

Tyrique Stevenson suffered a hand injury and is now questionable to return, the team announced. Fellow cornerback Kyler Gordon picked up an undisclosed injury of his own on a long Buccaneers pass. He has now went back to the Bears locker room, via Adam Jahns of CHGO.

Whether either cornerback returns to the game is yet to be seen. If not, the Bears will be relying on backups for the remainder of the game. With how expected top cornerback Jaylon Johnson has performed, that’ll be a scary proposition for Chicago.

At just over 10:30 remaining in the third quarter, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield had completed 13-of-21 passes for 204 yards and an interception. Knowing how banged up the Bears are now, perhaps he decides to take more shots downfield.

Chicago Bears’ 2026 secondary struggles

The Bears entered Week 9 ranked seventh in total defense, allowing 305.8 yards per game. But defending the pass has been an issue, as evident by the fact Chicago drops to 14th in that metric, allowing 219 yards per game.

Part of the problem has been the Bears’ inability to limit explosive plays. They allowed four against the Green Bay Packers in their most recent loss. Too often are wide receivers finding themselves behind Chicago’s secondary.

Without Muhammad, Stevenson and Gordon down, the Bears will struggle in that department even more. Johnson has been one of the biggest culprits in terms of the secondary issues. He entered Week 9 with a 38.1 grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking 99/103 cornerbacks. Now, he’ll be pressed into even more of a focal role.

The Bears will be paying close attention to all three defensive back’s injuries in Week 9 and beyond. Until then, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will need to get creative.

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