Bears Place Starting Offensive Lineman on Injured Reserve

The Chicago Bears are coming off an exhilarating 33-14 win over the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football, but their triumph came at a price. The team placed offensive lineman Lucas Patrick on injured reserve Thursday.

We have placed Lucas Patrick on IR and signed DE Gerri Green to the practice squad@Hyundai | #DaBears https://t.co/gsYoYDzqWo
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 27, 2022

Patrick exited in the first quarter of the Bears' win due to a toe injury. He has started the previous five games for the Bears, but he'll now miss at least four weeks. Sam Mustipher replaced him in the lineup.

The Bears offense has struggled even with Patrick available through their first seven games. The team has allowed a sack on a league-worst 16.6% of their dropbacks. The Falcons rank second-worst at 10.2%. Some of that may be attributed to Justin Fields' propensity to extend plays, but the offensive line certainly plays its part.

Patrick joined the Bears this past offseason on a modest two-year, $8 million after five years with the Green Bay Packers. He appeared in 73 games for the Packers and emerged as a reliable guard for the team in his fourth year, starting 28 games from 2020 to 2021. He has never exceeded an overall grade of 64.8 from Pro Football Focus in any of his previous seasons.