Kyler Gordon's return impacts C.J. Gardner-Johnson's role, creating a key defensive strategy clash against Puka Nacua's explosive threat.
Kyler Gordon was a welcome addition back to the starting lineup for the Chicago Bears this past weekend after missing significant time due to injury this season.
Gordon's first injury was before the regular season began. He suffered a hamstring injury in the preseason that kept him out of the first four games. Then, he came back for Week 6 before going on the injured reserve with a calf injury ahead of Week 8.
He would return from IR with Jaylon Johnson in Week 13, who missed time because of a groin injury during the 52-21 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 2. However, Gordon's resurgence was short-lived, as he suffered a groin injury in Week 14 during pregame warmups.
It's great to have an experienced nickel corner back in the secondary with Gordon, but it makes things interesting for C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Gardner-Johnson was signed by the Bears as a free agent to hold down nickel corner while Gordon was injured.
Now the Bears will need to decide who to put there, as the Los Angeles Rams' best receiver, Puka Nacua, will line up in the slot from time to time. Nacua is a genuine threat and had 1,715 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in the regular season.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen gave Bears fans an answer on whether Gardner-Johnson or Gordon will be playing nickel in the secondary.
Gardner-Johnson suffered a concussion in the 31-27 win over the Green Bay Packers, but was a full participant on Wednesday, raising questions about who would play the position versus the Rams.
Allen stated that both Gardner-Johnson and Gordon will see time at nickel.
"They'll both have a role," Allen said.
Slowing down Nacua will be no easy task for Chicago, especially with the problems in the secondary this season.
Even Nahshon Wright has gotten burned plenty of times despite his breakout season with six interceptions.
You can look back at the regular-season finale with the Lions. Gardner-Johnson had a PFF grade of 28.2, while Johnson and Wright had scores in the 50s.
Even with Gordon back for the Wild Card, the Bears still allowed 323 passing yards and four touchdowns from Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love.
It's good that the Bears won that game, but stopping Nacua could be quite the challenge.
Chicago still leads the NFL with 33 takeaways, but the secondary is giving up the 11th-most passing yards per game (239.2).
The Bears will have their work cut out for them in keeping the Rams' passing attack under wraps.
We'll see what Allen has cooked up on Sunday night.