The Chicago Bears have not given a clear answer as to cornerback Kyler Gordon’s status moving forward after he injured his groin in pregame warmups Sunday in Green Bay. Asked Wednesday if Gordon will return this season, coach Ben Johnson said, “to be determined.” “I haven’t heard (a status ) over the last couple of days, the extent of it, but coming out of that one it didn’t look very good,” Johnson said. Per the team’s injury report Wednesday — which was an estimate because the Bears held a walkthrough rather than a full practice — Gordon did not participate. Here’s what else we learned Wednesday. 1. The Kyler Gordon dilemma. Chicago Bears cornerbacks Jaylon Jones and Kyler Gordon walk off the field after losing to the Saints on Nov. 5, 2023, at the Superdome in New Orleans. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune) Gordon was a surprise scratch ahead of Sunday’s 28-21 loss in Green Bay. At that point, the inactives were already filed and the Bears were forced to play the game a man down. Gordon had made his return to the field a week earlier in Philadelphia after missing about a month with groin and calf injuries. C.J. Gardner-Johnson has filled in at the nickel cornerback spot with Gordon sidelined this year. But the Bears missed Gordon’s speed on Christian Watson’s 41-yard touchdown Sunday. All in all, Gordon has appeared in only three games this season after signing a contract extension in the offseason. He was inactive for the first four games of the season due to a hamstring injury. He returned for contests against the Washington Commanders and New Orleans Saints before going on injured reserve for five games. Gordon and Jaylon Johnson, who spent nine games on injured reserve with a groin injury, were both activated for the Bears’ road game against the Eagles on Nov. 28. Gordon played 36 snaps against the Eagles (67% of defensive snaps). On Monday, Ben Johnson said the Bears would “exhaust all of our resources” in getting Gordon healthy. But it’s unclear if Gordon will be back in the next several weeks or if he’s destined for another stint on injured reserve. Going on IR would require a minimum four-game absence. The earliest he could return would be for the wild-card round of the playoffs. In other injury news, per the Bears’ injury report, running back Travis Homer also sat out Wednesday with an ankle injury. Receiver Rome Odunze (foot), cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (hip) and receiver Olamide Zaccheaus (hamstring) were limited participants. 2. The Bears are playing meaningful games in December, which brings bad weather. A member of the grounds crew clears snow off the field before the Chicago Bears play the Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field on Sunday, Dec. 24, 2017, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune) The Bears are no strangers to cold weather. This team battled cold and windy conditions on Black Friday in Philadelphia. It did so again last week at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. The ability to win games in the elements will be key down the stretch this season. All four remaining games are outdoors, with three of them at Soldier Field. The forecast for Sunday’s game against Cleveland is a high of 13 degrees with wind gusts up to 20 miles per hour. “Nothing really (changes),” veteran safety Kevin Byard said. “I don’t really think about the cold weather during the game. It’s more about before the game. The whole lead-up — warmups, when you’re kind of just standing around, that’s the annoying part of it. The TV timeouts, I stand over by the heaters and when there’s 30 seconds left in the TV timeout, I run back on the field and get the play call. During the game, you’re thinking about the game.” It would seem that this Bears team — with the No. 2 run game in the NFL — is built to perform outdoors this time of year. A solid run game typically translates well in cold weather. Quarterback Caleb Williams said cold-weather games “don’t bother me.” “(It’s) just being able to get warm, get my body warm and then go out there and deliver good balls to my guys and let them go make plays,” Williams said. The wind was tricky in Philadelphia and it definitely affected a few of Williams’ throws in that game. Wind is always a concern this time of year on the lakefront in Chicago. The Bears will have another home game against Green Bay on Dec. 20, followed by a trip to San Francisco on Dec. 28 before rounding out the schedule at home against the Detroit Lions in Week 18. 3. Ben Johnson says ‘we desperately need this win’ against Cleveland. Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson speaks to Chicago Bears offensive tackle Darnell Wright before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Soldier Field on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune) Johnson said that right now his team just needs to maintain its focus. The Bears know they probably need at least two more wins to secure a playoff spot in the NFC. Johnson has mentioned that publicly and his players have echoed it. But the Bears can’t spend any time looking ahead. “We’ve got a good group of leaders that keep the main thing the main thing as we’ve been talking about it,” Johnson said. “It helps when the younger players are hearing that constantly, that they do the best that they can to avoid the distractions. I think it’s harder, this day and age, than ever before. It’s so easy to get caught up on what’s being said outside of the building, but we just try to keep the focus on how we see it.” As it stands now, the Bears would be the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoff picture. Cleveland is the last team with a losing record remaining on their schedule. Even so, there are no easy wins in the NFL. Johnson isn’t going to let his team have a letdown after all the buildup that preceded the first matchup with Green Bay. “You go from an emotional rivalry game like we just played, this week is equally important,” Johnson said. “We need this win. We desperately need this win.” ...read more read less