Chicago Bears: 3 Observations from Week 15 loss to Packers

Akiem Hicks gave whatever he had to help the Bears win

When we talk about the 2019 Chicago Bears defense we’ll think of the “what ifs” during the season. The biggest one is what if Akiem Hicks doesn’t hurt his elbow in London?

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In 2019, the Bears weren’t the dominant force they were on defense last season. A big reason for that was the loss of Hicks. He missed eight games this season, a big blow for the defense. The defense is different without him. Sure, it’s still a great unit (they rank third in points allowed at 18.1 per game), but there was talk about this defense being among the all-time greatest defensive units. Without Hicks, however, the unit could never match up.

This was Hicks’ first game back after missing those eight games and you could clearly see he was still in pain.

He had to sit a few plays when the pain became too great and he was huffing and puffing on a few plays, but he recorded four tackles and a couple of quarterback hits. It was good to see him on the field and see how much he gave of himself to help the Bears win this game.

Now that the season is, for all intents and purposes, over, the Chicago Bears and their fans should give thanks for Hicks’ performance and let him sit out the rest of the season. He clearly isn’t at full strength and it would be gross negligence on the Bears part if they send him back on the field and he injures himself further.

This season is a wash and Hicks should just rest, heal and get ready for the 2020 season.