Bears’ Johnson Defends Late Scoring; Ravens Lose Lane to Wrist Surgery, Chiefs’ Delane Avoids Major Injury

With Week 1 in the books and Week 2 approaching, Tuesday brought a wave of injury updates and coaching explanations as teams processed their season openers.

Kansas City Chiefs rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane appears to have dodged a long-term setback after a big play against the Denver Broncos, while Baltimore Ravens wideout Ja’Kobi Lane could miss roughly a month. In Chicago, Ben Johnson clarified why the Bears kept their foot on the gas in the fourth quarter of a blowout victory over the Carolina Panthers.

Here is the latest from around the NFL.

Ben Johnson Explains Bears’ Fourth-Quarter Push

The Bears posted their highest-scoring Week 1 performance in franchise history Sunday, routing the Panthers 59-37, and head coach Ben Johnson made clear Monday that easing off was never an option. Even with Chicago leading 45-31 after a third-quarter touchdown run by Kyle Monangai, the offense added two more scores in the final period.

“Anytime you’re still within a couple of scores there in the fourth quarter, the game is still on, and so we needed that,” Johnson said via team transcript. “I forget what time it was that we took the field for that last drive, and it was, ‘Guys, we want to finish the game with the ball,’ and then ended up getting one to pop through, and [D’Andre Swift] ended up scoring there at the end.”

Johnson also pointed to Carolina’s 2023 track record of fourth-quarter comebacks as a reason for caution.

“It’s a credit to Carolina more than anything. We went into the game with a lot of respect for how well they could play in the fourth quarter. They had a number of games a year ago where the quarterback and the offense found a way to come back and win from behind; that was just something that was on our mind going into the game. We knew we couldn’t let off the gas.”

The Bears’ offense will face an early divisional test in their home opener against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Baltimore’s receiving corps just got thinner.

Rookie wideout Ja’Kobi Lane is expected to undergo surgery for a fractured wrist as early as Wednesday, a procedure that could sideline him for close to a month, according to a CBS Sports report. The Ravens have not ruled out placing him on injured reserve.

Lane’s absence compounds an already banged-up receiver room after Zay Flowers went down with a hamstring injury, pushing Rashod Bateman, Chris Moore, and Elijah Sarratt up the depth chart.

“Zay’s probably a little bit more like in the day-to-day range. You know, feel pretty good about where that’s at. We’ll see how the week goes,” Minter said of Flowers before adding he expected Lane to be out “maybe a little bit longer” on Monday.

The 21-year-old third-round pick out of USC was projected as a red-zone weapon alongside Flowers after a standout college career, but his NFL debut was cut short in Week 1 against the Colts. Lane arrived in Baltimore with significant hype following a three-season run at USC that produced 99 catches, 1,363 yards, and 18 touchdowns, and he had slotted in as the No. 2 option behind Flowers before the injury.

A month-long absence could see Lane return for Baltimore’s game against the Falcons in October, following matchups with the New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys, and Tennessee Titans.

There is encouraging news on the injury front for one of Kansas City’s top rookies.

Cornerback Mansoor Delane is believed to have suffered only a short-term shoulder injury during Monday night’s win over Denver, according to NFL Network, with X-rays and CT scans reportedly coming back clean. Delane was still scheduled to undergo an MRI.

The No. 6 overall pick appeared to aggravate a shoulder issue that dated back to the offseason program and training camp. He made an instant impact regardless, hauling in his first career interception on his third career snap to end Denver’s opening possession, but he landed awkwardly on the shoulder during the play and did not return.

With early indications pointing to a short-term issue rather than a long-term absence, the Chiefs are hopeful their top corner can rejoin the mix quickly as the secondary settles into the regular season.

The Chiefs host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night in Week 2.

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