On Sunday night, the Chicago Bears surprised the San Francisco 49ers, as they defeated them in their first game at their new stadium by a score of 28-20. The Bears scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to bring home the come from behind upset victory.
While it was certainly an impressive win for Chicago on Sunday night, it was not all good news for them. Safety Chris Conte left the game with a shoulder injury, defensive tackle Jeremiah Ratliff suffered a concussion, defensive end Trevor Scott suffered a foot injury and cornerback Sherrick McManis injured his quad.
No injury was harder on the Bears than Charles Tillman, who re-injured his right biceps early in the second half on Sunday night. An already shaky Bears’ defense cannot afford for these players to miss an extended period of time, especially Tillman. Unfortunately, things are not looking good for the 33-year-old Bears’ cornerback.
Tillman missed the last eight games of last season after suffering an injury on the same bicep. After the injury happened on Sunday night, Tillman was spotted on the sidelines in tears. Clearly, he knows the injury well, and his return this season is very much in question. While the severity of the injury is currently unknown, it could easily cost Tillman the rest of the 2014 season, if not his career.
This is Tillman’s twelfth season in the NFL, all of which he has spent with the Bears, after the franchise drafted him in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Tillman is known as a physical cornerback with an incredible knack for creating turnovers. He was a two time Pro Bowl selection, and his 36 interceptions are good for the third most in Bears’ history. Also, Tillman has 42 career forced fumbles, the most in the NFL since he entered the league in 2003.
From Randy Moss to Calvin Johnson, the NFC North has been blessed with a ton of talent at the wide receiver position during his career, meaning Tillman has had to defend some of the most physically talented wide receivers in the history of the game. While it has not been easy, Tillman has certainly held his own. The Bears were never afraid to line him up against the best receivers in the NFL, and Tillman has always been up for the challenge.
If the injury is severe like it appears to be, the Bears will certainly miss Tillman’s physical style of play and leadership on the field. That being said, rookie Kyle Fuller stepped up in a big way after Tillman went down against the 49ers. The rookie made impressive plays on two huge interceptions in the fourth quarter. While the Bears are certainly holding out any hope that the Tillman injury is not severe, Fuller appears to be up for the challenge of replacing the veteran player.
This may be a bit of a changing of the guards in Chicago, but hopefully Tillman is able to get back on the field soon. Regardless, he has been an incredibly exciting player to look over the years, and the Bears are going to miss him dearly if this is indeed the end.