After breaking his ankle during the team’s victory over the Detroit Lions in Week 14, defensive end Yannick Ngakoue will miss the remainder of the season, according to Bears head coach Matt Eberflus’ announcement on Wednesday.
Ngakoue will not be able to achieve the signature stat line he has had since joining the league now that the season is over. Ngakoue has averaged at least eight sacks per season since joining the league in 2016.
Here are his season sacks each season since entering the league:
- 2016, Jacksonville Jaguars: 8.0 sacks
- 2017, Jacksonville Jaguars: 12.0 sacks
- 2018, Jacksonville Jaguars: 9.5 sacks
- 2019, Jacksonville Jaguars: 8.0 sacks
- 2020, Minnesota Vikings/Baltimore Ravens: 8.0 sacks
- 2021, Las Vegas Raiders: 10.0 sacks
- 2022, Indianapolis Colts: 9.5 sac
Ngakoue has only accumulated 4.0 sacks this season, falling short of an unbelievable run of consistency on the defensive line. To get back to that point, he would have needed to average one sack in each of the Bears’ final four games.
The Bears will have to rely on their reserves to help Montez Sweat on the other end in the absence of Ngakoue. This implies that Gervon Dexter Jr., Zacch Pickens, and DeMarcus Walker will get more snaps.
“Everybody’s going to have an uptick in reps because of the loss of Yannick,” Eberflus stated. It’s critical that those guys seize the chance and have a clear idea of both the opportunity and the plays they will make. This is the purpose of today’s walkthrough exercise. Guys need to visualize themselves in the game plan, execute plays in the current game, and then move on to the next day after making any necessary corrections.”
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