The Chicago Bears have a battered defensive front, but luckily for Ben Johnson's group, they won't be facing maximum protection against the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel announced that guards Alijah Vera-Tucker and Ben Brown will be absent in Week 7. In addition, cornerback Carlton Davis III will miss a third straight game with a neck issue.
That's three key players down for New England. The two in the Patriots' interior offensive line are a saving grace for the Bears.
After all, Chicago linebacker Jack Sanborn has been ruled out with a concussion.
Fellow linebacker T.J. Edwards is doubtful with a hamstring issue. Edwards sat out against the Atlanta Falcons this past Sunday.
EDGE Montez Sweat is serving the second game of a suspension for PED use. Sweat will be back after "TNF."
Finally, fellow edge-rusher Dayo Odeyingbo is on the IR with a quad injury.
Bears Interior Line Catches Major Break Dodging Alijah Vera-Tucker
Vera-Tucker has had a mostly strong year so far after signing with New England this past March, though he did naturally gut through some early-season adjustments with a new group.
The Patriots' starting left guard has excelled in pass-protection in particular, grading out as a 71 by PFF. Overall, Vera-Tucker owns a 68.2 grade, good for the No. 28 ranking league-wide among qualified guards.
In 362 offensive snaps, Vera-Tucker has given up one sack, three quarterback hits, and seven quarterback hurries.
Without him, fellow newcomer Walter Rouse, a sixth-round pick in 2024 to the Minnesota Vikings out of Oklahoma and Stanford, will get the nod.
Rouse had a 65.8 pass-blocking grade with the Vikings during the 2025 season, but was a serious liability in the run game, finishing with a 49.1 grade.
Patriots Looking to Establish the Run Against the Bears Anyway
While Vera-Tucker and Brown being out hurts, neither is particularly a world-beater against the run. Against the Bears front, Vrabel wants to establish a strong running game with Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.
Vrabel was asked about Chicago's vaunted third-down defense, which ranks No. 2 in the NFL through six weeks of the season.
He recognized Dennis Allen's defense's strengths, but insisted on finding a way to impose his offense's will on the ground.
"Yeah, it's excellent. It's very good," Vrabel said of the Bears' defense on third down on Wednesday. "So, I think we have to stay balanced, but also find ways to run the football. They just haven't had a lot of plays against them.
"When you play with the lead, then you don't see a lot of runs. So that's the challenge, is being able to flip the script a little bit, not let them run 73 plays and only have to defend 50."
We'll see if Vrabel can flip the script with backups in the interior offensive line and establish the run. Thus far, the Bears have been the No. 8 run defense during the 2026 season.
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