That was a historic season debut by defensive back Kyler Gordon in the Chicago Bears’ 31 to 23 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Gordon had 4 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. His 3 sacks tie the NFL record for sacks by a defensive back in a game, and it’s the first time a Bear has done it since Todd Bell in 1983.
He did his damage in only 16 defensive snaps, which is the fewest snaps a player with 3 or more sacks in a game has played in the past 20 seasons.
Gordon’s 21-day practice
window had him practice in full for all 9 practices he attended, but you can’t truly replicate in-game conditioning without playing, which is why Gordon was on a pitch count today.
The Bears could have waited until his window expired next week, but the Bears wanted him back, and Gordon wanted to be back.
Bears’ head coach Ben Johnson was asked about Gordon’s performance at his postgame press conference.
“He was ready to play,” Johnson said. “I talked with Kyler yesterday morning and said, ‘Hey, I think we want to activate you. Are you ready to go?’ And he said, ‘Absolutely.’ And he sure enough was. So, huge spark there for us on the defense. I thought DA (Dennis Allen) put him in some good spots, but I mean, he’s so twitchy. He’s very hard to block as a blitzer; tight in coverage also. So, you know, we got to make sure that we keep him on that right track. We’re trying to limit his role a little bit, just making sure he was in good football shape. But those snaps that he had were huge ones for us today.”
Gordon also met the media after the game, and he seemed to let some frustration boil over (you can watch it below and come to your own conclusion), but I get it. His head coach seemed irritated at times when asked about him in pressers. There was clearly a disconnect in the rehab the team wanted from him and the rehab he felt he needed. Some fans and media have questioned his desire to play for months, calling him soft and saying he’s faking it for a paycheck.
Gordon opened his press conference with this line: “I wanted to be on the field and contribute and add to this team and help drive the direction where we’re going to go, and that’s what I did.”
He was asked if he was on the same page with the Bears’ medical staff after his time away with his personal trainer, and he said that’s a “question for coach,” adding it’s not his call. They asked again about the rehab situation, and he reiterated he can’t answer, saying he is “more focused on what we got in the future.”
Gordon talked about getting his conditioning right in the coming weeks, but as far as any hesitation in playing today, he said he was “confident” he was good to go.
The Bears are better when Gordon is on the field, so let’s hope he stays out of the trainer’s room.
In case you missed it, Gordon got a game ball from Johnson after the game, and it looked like something was said during the congratulatory hug.
