COVID-19 Scare Hit the Bears Hard in a Few Ways

Some Bears players were concerned about their safety on the flight home from Tennessee after the latest round of COVID-19 hit the team on Saturday night and Sunday morning

Playing in a game several teammates missed due to COVID-19 is one thing.

It's quite another to have to travel back home in an airplane with some who have tested positive or were recently exposed to someone who had.

This was the situation facing the Bears after they lost 24-17 Sunday to the Tennessee Titans.

"Yeah, that is a huge concern," wide receiver Allen Robinson said. "I know when you see stuff like that happen, it's definitely not the best feeling at all.

"Again, being on the plane, being around that person and whoever was around him, that's definitely something to think about. I was just talking to some of the guys, that's something that guys are talking about. It is a cause of concern."

The latest problems were safety Deon Bush and offensive lineman Lachavious Simmons being plut on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, Bush Saturday night and Simmons in the morning before the game.

The Bears had already put three players on the list—Germain Ifedi, Cody Whitehair and Jason Spriggs. The difference was they knew this going to Tennessee. So it couldn't have sat too well with some players when they had to play with the possibility others may also wind up Reserve/COVID-19 

The Bears isolated the two new cases, but all the changes on the offensive line obviously took a toll. They managed only 56 yards rushing for the game on 20 carries and had three first-half first downs. Their longest run was 11 yards on Barkevious Mingo's handoff during a fake punt.

The lack of cohesion on the offensive line was apparent all game, especially in short yardage.

David Montgomery, who suffered a concussion late in the game, got stuffed on a fourth-and-1 to end the first Bears series at Tennessee's 34. He was dragged down for no gain on third-and-2 in the second quarter at Tennessee's 45, leading to a punt.

Finally, they did convert a fourth-and-1 at Tennesee's 32 when Montgomery ran for 5 during a drive to their first points, a 22-yard Cairo Santos field goal.

Foles saw his makeshift line caused by Cody Whitehair's COVID-19 and injuries to Bobby Massie and James Daniels, and couldn't get to critical.

"You know what, they played as hard as they could and they gave me everything they had," Foles said. "And that's all I can ever ask of them. You go out there, you play together as an offense and you give it everything you have until the end. And they did that. So I'm proud of them for that."

As for the trip back with the potential for more COVID cases, Foles wasn't as worried as Robinson.

"Yeah, I mean the NFL is doing everything they can to keep us safe so I honestly trust our protocols," Bears quarterback Nick Foles said. "I trust our staff here to do everything the right way.

"This year, as you all have witnessed, every single person has been affected this year by what is going on in the world. But it goes back to, you know what, the NFL and our team, our team specifically too is going above and beyond doing everything it can to keep everybody safe. So, I trust them in this situation."

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