The Cleveland Browns offensive line and quarterback Joe Flacco will have a little bit of an easier matchup against the Chicago Bears’ defensive line this week.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus announced that defensive end Yannick Ngakoue will miss Week 15 and the rest of the season with an ankle injury.
#Bears coach Matt Eberflus said DE Yannick Ngakoue has a broken ankle. It's a season-ending injury and he will be placed on injured reserve.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) December 13, 2023
The loss of Ngakoue is a huge blow for the Bears’ pass rush. Ngakoue had four sacks and seven quarterbacks on the season in his first year in Chicago before the ankle injury at the end of the Week 14 win over the Detroit Lions.
Backup DeMarcus Walker will likely fill in behind Ngakoue this week. The seventh-year edge rusher is no slouch, though: Walker has 1.5 sacks and nine quarterback hits this season in a reserve role for Chicago. He could still be a terror for the Browns offensive line.
But no Ngakoue will be a nice reprieve for a Browns team in a serious playoff hunt. At 8-5, they’re in the driver’s seat to the AFC’s No. 5 seed. A win would continue to secure that future for Cleveland.