The Chicago Bears eeked out a narrow victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football, but they will head into their bye week with new concerns about star wide receiver Luther Burden III after an injury knocked him out of the win.
Burden exited late in the fourth quarter after taking a helmet-to-helmet shot from Buccaneers rookie Rueben Bain Jr. at the end of a third-down screen play. He also fumbled, which Tampa Bay recovered and turned into a tying touchdown two plays later.
Officials did not penalize Bain for the hit, but the shot to the head forced Burden into the medical tent on the sideline and kept him out for the Bears’ game-winning drive.
Afterward, Bears head coach Ben Johnson did not share many details about Burden’s condition, but he did confirm that he has a concussion, meaning that the second-year wide receiver will enter the bye week in the league’s concussion protocol.
Luther Burden Started Hot Against Buccaneers in Week 9
Burden did not finish the game for the Bears, but he had a big hand in breaking it open for them in the first half before quarterback Caleb Williams‘ interception frenzy.
With the Bears leading 7-0 in the first quarter, Burden caught a short pass from Williams on third-and-8 on the second drive and used his dynamic run-after-catch ability to work all the way up the field for a 56-yard touchdown — his longest of the 2026 season.
“They ended up blitzing again, ended up having Luther running across the field on a quick in,” Williams said Sunday night of the play. “And then from there, just gave him the ball. He made a great play for there. I haven’t gotten to see him yet, but I’ve got to go do that after this [postgame press conference]. But he made a great play. We’ve got to have more of that.”
Burden also finished with more catches (seven), receiving yards (97) and targets (nine) than any of his teammates despite exiting the penultimate drive. He remains the Bears’ leader in all three categories with 49 receptions for 644 yards and four touchdowns on the season, underscoring his fully embraced role as the team’s new No. 1 wide receiver.
Bears News: Luther Burden Should Benefit from Bye Week
The Bears are unlikely to have more information about Burden’s concussion until they emerge from the bye week, but that extra week of recovery could help along his return to the field.
After Sunday night’s win, the Bears won’t play again until they host the New Orleans Saints at Soldier Field in exactly two weeks on Sunday, November 22, giving them ample rest time.
For Burden, that simply means more time to clear the medical checks that the league puts in place for player safety. Concussions, however, can prove troublesome for players in terms of how quickly they are able to return to the field, so there is no guarantee that Burden will be ready come Week 11.
Even still, the Bears couldn’t have asked for a better window of time to work through a few injuries. Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson also emerged with a thumb injury.
Chicago Bears Give Luther Burden Injury Update After Win Over Bucs