NFL Suspends Bears Star Pass-Rusher for 2 Games

The Chicago Bears defense was decimated in Sunday's 31-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 5.

The Bears defense has 12 sacks through their first five games of the season. Chicago entered the season with depth issues on the defensive line. They're set to lose another key defensive end for two games.

Per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, defensive end Montez Sweat has been suspended by the NFL for two games for violating the league's performance-enhancing substances policy.

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"Bears DE Montez Sweat has been suspended for the next 2 games for violating the NFL’s Performance-Enhancing Substances Policy," Biggs posted on X. "That means he will miss Sunday at Atlanta and the following Thursday vs. New England."

Sweat has seven tackles and two sacks through the first five games. Per Pro Football Focus, he's been graded as the 81st best edge out of 106 this season.

Sweat is a huge loss for a unit that needs all the help it can find to get after the quarterback.

Bears head coach Ben Johnson told reporters on Monday that the defense is trying to work out where they went wrong against Green Bay. He noted that there was a combination of poor play calls and missed assignments, including issues with poor attempts to rush the quarterback.

"It's a collective deal going on," Johnson said, via the Bears' website. "When we win, we win as a team. When we lose, we lose as a team. I'll be the first one to shoulder the blame for anything that went on offensively, and then defensively, DA (Dennis Allen) is the same way.

"He'll be the first one to tell you when there's a bad call. But [there were] also a combination of bad rushes mixed in there and bad coverage mixed in there, so really all three things showed up over the course of the game."

The Bears could get a break if the Falcons don't have Michael Penix Jr. available to play on Sunday as the quarterback recovers from a rib injury. But Chicago will need to find ways to pressure Drake Maye when the Patriots visit the Bears on "Thursday Night Football" on Oct. 22.

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