Montez Sweat Hit With Two-Game Suspension Following Bears' Blowout Loss
Ian Rapoport reported the suspension per the NFL.
Just when you thought the ' week could not get any worse after getting completely dismantled by the , the NFL front office decided to pile on. Star edge rusher Montez Sweat has been slapped with a two-game suspension without pay for violating the league's Performance-Enhancing Substances Policy.
Ian Rapoport broke the news on Tuesday, officially confirming that will be without its best pass rusher for the next couple of weeks. Losing your defensive anchor is bad enough, but losing him to a failed test right after a 31-7 blowout loss to your oldest rival is the kind of sequence that makes Bears fans want to stare blankly into Lake Michigan.
Whatever Sweat was allegedly taking, it clearly did not help the get to the quarterback on Sunday. 's defense looked completely gassed against , and now they have to figure out how to generate pressure without the guy they essentially built their entire defensive front around.
This is a massive blow to a defense that desperately needs difference-makers to stay competitive. From a betting perspective, taking Sweat off the board fundamentally changes how you have to look at 's defensive metrics and opposing quarterback props for the next two weeks. You simply cannot replace his production with a backup and expect the same level of disruption.
Sweat will sit out the next two contests while his game checks stay in the league's bank account. The now have to scramble to patch together a pass rush, and opposing offensive coordinators are already circling these next two matchups on their whiteboards.