The Chicago Bears earned a 30-24 victory over the New England Patriots, but they also lost a notable player on offense, as tight end Cole Kmet was carted off the field in the fourth quarter after suffering a knee injury. He's believed to have suffered a serious, likely season-ending knee injury and will be placed on injured reserve, according to ESPN. Kmet caught a Caleb Williams pass in the right flat before turning upfield and getting hit by Robert Spillane and Christian Gonzalez.
When he went down, the veteran pass-catcher immediately grabbed at his right knee. Kmet caught 10 passes for 87 yards and one touchdown this season. The former No. 43 overall pick out of Notre Dame is the longest-tenured Bear on the roster and one of the team's leaders.
Williams told reporters he'll be there for Kmet every step of the way as he begins his recovery. Obviously, I don't know exactly what it is, but getting carted off is never good. You're at least going to miss some time.
I don't have the words to describe what Cole is to me, what Cole is to this team, to this organization. He's the longest-tenured Bear, I believe," Williams said. "He's been through it and it's challenging, it's tough, and I'll be right there with him through every step of whatever the injury is.
Cole's been there for me every step of the way, through the first year, through the second year, and now through this year. So I could only do the same for him." Kmet's injury means more attention for Colston Loveland, who saw a season-high 12 targets vs. New England, catching seven of them for 69 yards and a touchdown.
Loveland has now caught touchdowns in back-to-back games after failing to find the end zone through the first five games of the season. The only other tight end currently on the active roster is rookie Sam Roush, who was selected in the third round this year out of Stanford. He's caught three passes for 33 yards so far this season, although he was projected as more of a "blocking tight end" as a prospect.
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