(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — With Bears quarterback Justin Fields ruled out, rookie backup Tyson Bagent will get another start on Sunday evening after he led Chicago to victory in his NFL debut against the Las Vegas Raiders last weekend.
This week, Bagent and the 2-5 Bears get the 2-4 Los Angeles Chargers, who allow more yards per play to opposing offenses than any other team in the league, besides Denver. That means there could be opportunities to go deep if Bagent and Bears succumb to temptation.
“That’s why the NFL’s so hard,” Bagent told reporters earlier this week. “You’ve got to know when to eat the play, you’ve got to know when to take advantage of the play, you’ve got to know when you can escape, and you’ve got to know when you’ve just got to throw it away or take a sack. We’re not trying to be careful in doing anything. We just want to play our game as effective and as in sync as we can.”
While the Chargers might be vulnerable to explosive plays, they’re also third in the league in sacks — and Bagent may have to get rid of the ball fast.
On the other side of the ball for the Bears, cornerback Jaylon Johnson spoke to reporters about his history with Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.
“I know I got a sack against him in college; I remember that,” he said.
Johnson, who played college football at Utah, competed multiple times against Herbert, who went to Oregon.
“I’ve been playing the guy for a long time,” Johnson said. “To me, there’s not anything that he can’t do. He can throw the ball 100 yards. He can run. He can scramble. He has accuracy, and he has weapons to get the ball to, so I definitely have a lot of respect for his game.”
Johnson, though, is one of the few Bears who’s ever faced the All-Pro Herbert. The last time the Bears and the Chargers faced off was 2019, when both Herbert and Johnson were in college. Safety Eddie Jackson, guard Cody Whitehair and long snapper Patrick Scales are the only Bears still around from that 2019 meeting.
Kickoff for Sunday’s game is 7:20 p.m.
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