Chicago Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon will not make his 2025 regular-season debut against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4 after initial optimism that he would.
The Bears officially ruled out Gordon with a hamstring injury for a fourth consecutive game when they released their game-day inactives list roughly an hour before kickoff. Gordon had received a questionable designation in the final injury report after getting back on the practice field for Friday’s walkthrough for the first time since September 5.
Without Gordon, the Bears will need to rely upon Tyrique Stevenson, Nahshon Wright and Nick McCloud as their primary three cornerbacks against quarterback Geno Smith and the Raiders’ sixth-ranked passing offense (248.0 yards per game) on Sunday. They are also without All-Pro cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who is on the injured reserve list.
Unfortunately, the Bears also ruled out first-round rookie tight end Colston Loveland for Sunday’s game because of the hip injury that he sustained in Week 3’s victory. He practiced in a limited capacity in Friday’s walkthrough, but the Bears worked him out in the pregame and decided against rushing him back with their bye week coming up.
The Bears’ other inactives include: linebacker T.J. Edwards (hamstring), defensive tackle Grady Jarrett (knee), right tackle Darnell Wright (elbow), defensive tackle Chris Williams and quarterback Case Keenum.
Bears Are Slight Betting Underdogs Against Raiders
Despite knocking off the Dallas Cowboys for their first win of the 2025 season last week, the oddsmakers are still counting the Bears as underdogs heading into Week 4’s game.
The Bears are 1.5-point underdogs against the Raiders, according to both DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook. The road environment is likely working against the Bears in this situation, although it is clear that the oddsmakers are not convinced the Raiders’ home-field advantage will work much in their favor, hence the short odds.
This is the fourth consecutive week this season in which the Bears have been betting underdogs in the eyes of major sportsbooks. Even if they prevail against the Raiders, it is unlikely the oddsmakers will start to trust the Bears’ ability to win games until they start stringing together wins — something they haven’t achieved since last October.
Caleb Williams Coming Off Impressive Week 3 Start
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams will also head into Week 4’s game looking to stack strong performances after playing one of the best games of his young career last week.
In the 31-14 win over the Cowboys, Williams completed 19-of-28 passes for 298 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions and looked more settled in new head coach Ben Johnson’s offense than he had in the first two games. He also went unsacked, thanks to his front-line protection, for the first time in his 20 games as an NFL starter.
For his efforts, Williams earned recognition as the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Week, but the former No. 1 overall pick didn’t spend much time reveling in his weekly accolade — as Johnson made clear when talking about Williams’ reaction to the news this week.
“I tried to recognize him in front of the group and he wasn’t having it,” Johnson said Wednesday. “Very stoic. He’s already on to the next game.”
Can Bears Keep Rookie Ashton Jeanty Contained?
Critics have dogged Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty — the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft — for his slow start to his rookie season over the first three weeks. He has just 144 total rushing yards and one touchdown with zero runs of 20 or more yards.
In context, though, the blame seems to fall more squarely on the Raiders’ offensive line. Jeanty has gained 101% of his rushing yards (145) after contact on his 47 career carries, underscoring the shortcomings of his blockers and the inevitability of his breakout.
Can the Bears keep Jeanty in check for at least one more week, though?
The Bears are giving up the sixth-most rushing yards per game (139.3) through the first three weeks of the 2025 season. While they seized their first win of the season over the Cowboys last week, they also allowed an ugly 6.1 yards per carry on 20 rushes.