Just when it appeared that the Chicago Bears defense was getting back to full strength, they lost another starter to injury.
Second year linebacker Roquan Smith suffered a pectoral injury in the first quarter of Thursday’s 31-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
When Smith was immediately ruled out, it was an indication that it wasn’t good news. Bears coach Matt Nagy seemed to confirm as much in his postgame press conference.
“It doesn’t look real good for him,” Nagy said.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that it looks like a torn pectoral muscle for Smith.
The injury is likely to end Smith’s sophomore season. Smith had put together some strong performances over the last few weeks, and it’s certainly a brutal blow to the Bears defense.
Veteran Kevin Pierre-Louis replaced Smith and had an impressive defensive performance against the NFL’s best passing offense. But while the Bears certainly benefited from Pierre-Louis’ stellar performance, there’s no replacement for a Roquan Smith.
“Man, it sucks. It really sucks,” safety Eddie Jackson said. “You hate to see one of your brothers go down, but especially a guy like Ro. It was just kind of like a shock to the stomach.”
Smith suffered the injury on the Cowboys’ opening possession of the game, where they drove 75 yards for a touchdown. Jackson said that Smith knew he was hurt and wanted to play through it.
“He told us in the game — he thought he hurt his pec,” Jackson said. “And I was just like, ‘Dang.’ He said he’s going to finish the drive. You could see his face. I’m like, ‘Ro is still going to fight through it.’ And he fought through it. It just sucks. Ro’s having a good season. Unfortunately, it gets cut short with the injury.”
