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The Chicago Bears’ defense will still be shorthanded when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 12, with Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon ruled out for another week. However, despite playing without either cornerback for the fifth consecutive game, the team remains optimistic about both players’ outlook.
While Johnson and Gordon both remain on injured reserve in Week 12, the Bears hope to have both back in Week 13, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported.
The star defenders have yet to play a game together in 2025. Johnson has appeared in just one game, Week 2, while Gordon has only taken the field in Week 6 and Week 7.
Without either player active, Chicago will continue to rely on Nahshon Wright, Tyrique Stevenson and C.J. Gardner-Johnson to hold down the fort. The Bears have been a bottom-10 passing defense without their star defensive backs for most of the season.
Johnson and Gordon merely headline the Bears’ lengthy Week 12 injury report. Chicago will also be without Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Noah Sewell, Dayo Odeyingbo and Shemar Turner on defense, with left tackle Braxton Jones also missing another game. Safety Jaquan Brisker is also listed as questionable and in danger of missing the contest.
The Bears’ makeshift defense could get tested by the Steelers, who are throwing the ball at the 12th-highest rate in the league, combating the status quo of a typical Arthur Smith offense. Pittsburgh, however, ranks well below average in almost every other passing statistic.
Chicago will certainly need its full defensive arsenal for its upcoming stretch. After facing the Steelers in Week 12, the Bears will be tested against the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions over the next six weeks.
Despite the injuries, Chicago is the surprising leader of the NFC North with a 7-3 record. However, all seven of the Bears’ victories have come against opponents with losing records. Of them, five have been won by a single score.
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