The Chicago Bears were rolling in Atlanta against the Falcons until midway through the fourth quarter when circumstances turned on a dime. But after Chicago gave up 16 straight points and turned the football over on downs with just minutes remaining on the clock, cornerback Kyler Gordon saved the day in his first action of the season.
Gordon blitzed Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. on a third down with 16 yards to go, recording his third sack of the day while also forcing his second fumble of the afternoon.
“Kyler Gordon has 5 quick pressures and 3 sacks on 8 pass rush snaps,” Mina Kimes of ESPN wrote on X. “Insanely efficient day as a blitzer.”
Kyler Gordon First Bears Defender to Record 3 Sacks in Game in 43 Years
Gordon accomplished something with his three sacks that no other Bears defender had in more than four decades.
“Kyler Gordon is the first Bears DB with 3 sacks in a game since Todd Bell in 1983, per Fox,” Courtney Cronin of ESPN wrote on X.
Gordon played in just three games last season due to soft-tissue injuries, then missed all of training camp and the preseason with a calf issue that held him out of the first five contests of this campaign while on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
That context made Gordon’s improbable day all the more unlikely. But he finished the afternoon the hero for a Chicago team that also welcomed back QB Caleb Williams after three missed contests due to a hamstring injury he suffered in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings.
Bears Spoke About Kyler Gordon During Preseason as Though His Time With Team Might Be Over
The change from Gordon’s previous status to his performance on Sunday, October 18 is so stark because of the rhetoric from head coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles prior to the season, as they expressed frustration and disappointment with Gordon’s lack of availability and rehabilitation progress.
Poles went so far as to intimate that Gordon may never play another snap with the Bears, even as the nickel cornerback entered the first season of a three-year, $40 million contract extension in 2026.
However, Johnson’s tune changed on Gordon late this week as the CB approached his return, which was not a sure thing until Sunday arrived.
“He’s done a great job taking everything we’ve assigned him so far,” Johnson said. “I feel good about him, whether that’s this week or next week, I do feel good about him being able to contribute to this team and help us out. And there’s a number of ways that he can do that. But I’m encouraged with what I’ve seen so far.”
Bears Kyler Gordon Makes Team History in Hero Return Game