The Chicago Bears will host the New Orleans Saints next Sunday, and they’ll be doing it without one of their best players: defensive lineman Akiem Hicks. Hicks has come a long way since the Saints traded him away to the New England Patriots, developing into a highly-disruptive pass rusher and making the most of his Pro Bowl talent. While his ire for his former team is still weighing on him, Hicks recently suffered an elbow injury that will force him to miss this chance for payback against his old squad — and maybe longer.
On Tuesday, the Bears designated Hicks to the injured reserve list, the second starter in as many days that they’ve lost after right guard Kyle Long went down with a hip injury. With starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky on the mend with a shoulder injury, the Bears are hardly preparing to host the Saints at full-strength despite coming off their bye week.
That’s good news for a Saints offense that doesn’t know how much they’ll be able to lean on running back Alvin Kamara, who’s done as much as anyone to shoulder the load during Drew Brees’ absence with a thumb injury. Kamara tweaked an ankle in practice last week before injuring his knee against the Jacksonville Jaguars, though he finished the game in spite of it. If Kamara gets a lighter workload or rests altogether (the Saints’ own bye is just two weeks away), the hole Hicks leaves in the Bears defensive line could turn into running lanes for backups Latavius Murray and Dwayne Washington.
