Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images A sudden and huge loss for the Bears’ D-line as head coach Matt Eberflus announced Yannick Ngakoue will go on season-ending injured reserve with a broken ankle. A lot of the good vibes and feelings throughout Chicago Bears nation went a little sour when head coach Matt Eberflus dropped an unfortunate bomb during his presser on Wednesday. Per Matt Eberflus, starting defensive end Yannick Ngakoue suffered a broken ankle late during their victory at home over the Detroit Lions, and will be placed on season-ending injured reserve as a result. He will also require surgery to fix the injury. #Bears coach Matt Eberflus said DE Yannick Ngakoue has a broken ankle. It's a season-ending injury and he will be placed on injured reserve.— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) December 13, 2023 When asked what the plan is to compensate for this loss, Matt Eberflus half jokingly said, “blitz on ever down.” Whether or not such a strategy is adopted remains to be seen. However, this is without a doubt a major blow for a team looking to make a late season push for the playoffs. Prior to injury, Yannick Ngakoue recorded 4.0 sacks on the year, including 2.0 within the last four games. His play was improving each week following the arrival of defensive end Montez Sweat. With this setback comes a major test for the remainder of the depth chart at defensive end. DeMarcus Walker probably resumes his role as a starter adjacent from Montez Sweat after previously starting with Yannick Ngakoue. Rasheem Green might also see an increase of snaps played as a result. It’s high likely another player will be signed in the coming days, and pre-season standout Terrell Lewis could make sense. Once we know more, we will provide those updates here. Prayers sent for a speedy recovery! Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2023/ ... eason-2023
