Injuries have ravaged the Bears' roster, yet they're still dominating. Discover how this resilient team overcomes massive missed games to lead the league.
The Chicago Bears are the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff race heading into Week 14.
However, they have not earned that seed without going through some hardship this season. That hardship I'm talking about is, of course, regarding injuries.
It started in the offseason, as Jaylon Johnson suffered a groin injury that kept him out of the season opener. He played in Week 2, but got injured again and missed significant time, returning in the Black Friday game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Kyler Gordon missed the first four games of the season with a hamstring issue and was then placed on the injured reserve ahead of the Baltimore Ravens game with a calf injury.
Then came the recent linebacker debacle, with all three starters out for the games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Eagles. Tremaine Edmunds is now on IR with a groin injury as well.
Even rookie edge rusher Shemar Turner had an injury, as he is also on the IR, but with a torn ACL. The list goes on and on.
The fact that the Bears are 9-3 despite the injuries is impressive. What's even more remarkable is the combined number of games players on the team have missed this year. Chicago has 240 missed games due to injury, the most in the NFL.
The Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, and Los Angeles Chargers have also missed a lot of games due to injury, yet they have winning records.
The Bears' 9-3 start is a testament to the depth of this team. Take the 31-28 win over the Steelers, for example.
T.J. Edwards, Edmunds and Noah Sewell were all out. In stepped Amen Ogbongbemiga, D'Marco Jackson and rookie Ruben Hyppolite II. The three reserve linebackers did a great job at holding the line, and the Bears got a gritty win.
You can even go back before then. With Gordon and Johnson out, the team signed veteran defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson to hold down the nickel spot. Gardner-Johnson has done a great job, accounting for 23 total tackles, four TFLs, three sacks and one forced fumble.
Elsewhere in the secondary, Nahshon Wright has done a great job of making up for the lack of Gordon and Johnson. Wright is in his first season with Chicago and has 54 total tackles, five interceptions, three TFLs and three fumble recoveries.
This team is built for overcoming roadblocks under first-year head coach Ben Johnson, and it's paying off. We'll see if the Bears can overcome the challenge of getting a win at Lambeau Field on Sunday, with kickoff at 3:25 p.m. CT on Fox.