The Chicago Bears have been extremely fortunate in terms of staying healthy early on in the season.
How many times in the past few seasons have the Chicago Bears been this healthy heading into Week 3? The answer — few, if not at all. On the team’s injury report for Week 3, safety DeAndre Houston-Carson is the only player listed (broken arm). The other 52 players on the current roster are all good to go (including Leonard Floyd, who is getting a smaller brace on his hand this week).
The Bears did lose tight end Adam Shaheen in the preseason, but he still might be able to return later in the season. But it’s remarkable how fortunate the Bears have been when it comes to health.
When a team declares its seven inactive players for games, the list usually includes players who are hurt. With the exception of Houston-Carson, however, the Bears have been able to strictly list inactive players based on coaches’ decisions.
A quick peek at other NFL team’s injury reports and you can realize just how lucky the Bears have been, even after just two weeks.
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For example, the Los Angeles Chargers lost starters Jason Verrett and Hunter Henry before the season even began. Teams like the Carolina Panthers (Greg Olsen, Daryl Williams, Matt Kalil), Atlanta Falcons (Keanu Neal, Deion Jones, Andy Levitre) and Seattle Seahawks (Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, Doug Baldwin) — just to name a few — have been ravaged by injuries early in the season.
The Bears likely won’t be able to avoid the injury bug for the entire season, but let’s enjoy it while it lasts. It’s great when a team is able to play at full strength and run onto the field each week looking like the team that the general manager has actually envisioned. Here’s hoping that the Bears are able to stay healthy for weeks to come!