The Chicago Bears' recent winning streak has come at a cost. Defensive end Yannick Ngakoue will miss the rest of the 2023 season after breaking his ankle during Sunday's win over the Detroit Lions, Bears coach Matt Eberflus told reporters on Wednesday.
The loss of Ngakoue will undoubtedly have an impact on the Bears for the season's final four weeks. The 28-year-old had four sacks this season that included one during Chicago's 28-13 win over Detroit. The former Pro Bowler also had 22 tackles and six tackles for loss this season, his first in Chicago after signing a one-year, $10.5 million deal back in August.
The Bears had been enjoying one of the NFL's best defensive end duos in Ngakoue and Montez Sweat after acquiring Sweat from Washington just before the deadline. With Ngakoue out, Rasheem Green is in line to step up into the starting lineup alongside fellow defensive linemen Sweat, Justin Jones and Andrew Billings. A six-year veteran who started his career in Seattle, Green has two sacks in 14 games this season. He has 19 career sacks that include his career-high of 6.5 in 2021, his final season with the Seahawks.
Chicago's two-game winning streak has given it modest playoff aspirations entering the season's final month. Now 5-8, the Bears will look to win their third consecutive game this Sunday in Cleveland against the 8-5 Browns. It will be a homecoming of sorts for Bears quarterback Justin Fields, who played college football just over two hours down the road at Ohio State.