The Bears might never get their offensive line together.
Just as they were on the cusp of doing so, perhaps next week against the Raiders, they suffered setbacks in their 19-13 loss to the Vikings on Sunday.
Right guard Nate Davis was carted off to the locker room with an ankle injury, and center Cody Whitehair appeared to get benched after multiple erratic snaps.
That left the Bears with just two of their original intended starters: left guard Teven Jenkins and rookie right tackle Darnell Wright. Left tackle Braxton Jones (neck) is eligible to come off injured reserve against the Raiders.
Davis went down in the first quarter when Vikings safety Josh Metellus hit quarterback Justin Fields into the back of his right leg. Ja’Tyre Carter, a seventh-round pick last year, took his place.
Whitehair was supposed to move from left guard to center this season, but that hasn’t gone well. He had a high snap against the Commanders that Fields corralled and turned into an eight-yard gain, and was off target on the first possession Sunday. Whitehair also snapped one that Fields had to bat down and catch on the second possession.
Whitehair left the locker room before reporters were allowed to enter.
The Bears sent Lucas Patrick in for Whitehair in the fourth quarter. Coach Matt Eberflus said it was not related to snapping issues, but rather to steady rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent.
That probably isn’t the real answer. Whitehair was in for Bagent’s first possession.
Butkus tributes
Dick Butkus’ image was ubiquitous in Soldier Field as the team celebrated his life and career throughout the game. Butkus died Oct. 5 at 80.
Players wore a No. 51 patch on their jerseys, which they’ll do the rest of the season, and the Bears painted a No. 51 graphic on their sideline near the north end zone.
The team also set up a memorial inside the south entrance to the stadium that included Butkus’ Hall of Fame bust and showed a video tribute during the first quarter.
Former Bears star Devin Hester wore a Butkus jersey for an appearance in the first half.
Close call
Linebacker T.J. Edwards nearly recovered a wayward lateral pass by Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins in the second quarter, but was ruled out of bounds as he tried to secure the fumble on the sideline.
It appeared on replay that Edwards had possession in bounds, but the officials said video evidence wasn’t clear enough to overturn their initial call.
“In a game like today, there’s not a bunch of cameras out here so there’s not a bunch of looks,” Eberflus said.
It’s common for networks to use fewer cameras for the noon games compared to the national broadcasts.
Quick hits
Safety Eddie Jackson left with a foot injury, but Eberflus downplayed it and said he could’ve played at limited strength if the Bears had gotten too low at the position.
• The Broncos released three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Frank Clark, who was with the Chiefs when general manager Ryan Poles was in their personnel department. Clark, 30, has 58.5 sacks in 122 career games.
• The Air Force performed a scheduled flyover before the game at the end of the national anthem. The fighter jets had spooked some downtown during rehearsal Friday.
