Extent of Hester's Injury Still Unclear

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Sep 16, 2008 4:07PM

When we hear "ribs," we want barbecue. Not bruise. Particularly when the bones in question belong to a key member of the Bears.

Devin Hester seemed to have suffered a rib injury as he ran out of bounds on a kickoff in the third quarter of Sunday's loss to Carolina. He didn't appear to be hit as he raced out of bounds, so the indications are that it's some sort of non-contact injury.

Without an MRI as of yet, the diagnosis and time line for his return are still unclear. Let's hope he's not out too long, if at all.

With the Bears offense still having problems putting points on the board—they only managed three points on drives longer than 25 yards—the team needs all the field position it can get. Hester's unique ability to return kicks can certainly result in a quick six on the board. And even when he doesn't reach the end zone, teams' avoidance of him also result in good field position. No Hester, and the Bears offense could be stuck in neutral. We can expect the defense to score some point.... but asking them to score all the points is a bit much.

AP Photo/Jeff Roberson