Akiem Hicks' return from injury would be huge for Bears defense

When Bears defensive tackle Akiem Hicks tested his hamstring on the field prior to Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers, he knew the whole football world was watching.

It would’ve been impossible not to see the “Sunday Night Football” broadcast’s “SkyCam” zeroing in on him.

“All eyes are on you,” Hicks said. “Every coach is looking from the side like, ‘Is he going to play?’ The camera, the ‘Sunday Night Football’ camera slides down and gets in your mouth. It's an interesting moment, but unfortunately I wasn't able to put myself out there and play to my capability.”

Hicks hasn't played in a game since Nov. 16 against Minnesota, with the Bears’ bye week sandwiched between games against the Vikings and Packers. After missing the entire week of practice with what is listed as a hamstring/Achilles injury, Hicks determined he wasn’t healthy enough to be effective Sunday in Green Bay.

Bears defensive line coach Jay Rodgers thought it was an unselfish move on Hicks’ part. Hicks could’ve tried to play. But if he had to leave the game halfway through, it would’ve left the Bears defensive line shorthanded.

“Anytime you are presented with a situation where you’re trying to figure if the guy can be who he is, it’s tough,” Rodgers said. “And then the kind of relationship I have with Akiem is trust and honesty. If we felt like Akiem could be Akiem, then he would have played.”

All signs point to Hicks returning this week against the Detroit Lions. He practiced in a limited capacity Thursday and Friday, which is a positive sign. He spoke with the media Friday, which he likely wouldn’t do if he weren’t going to play.

Without Hicks, the Bears allowed the Packers to run for 182 yards, more than the Bears have allowed in a game since 2016. The Packers' 41-point outburst marked an uncharacteristically bad game for the Bears defense. Bears coach Matt Nagy was critical of the performance earlier this week.

Hicks liked the “tough coaching” and said criticism from Nagy was welcomed.

“For instance there was a game earlier this year, I don't remember which game it was, but we had given up a considerable amount of rushing yards,” Hicks said. “And one of the things that [Nagy] told us was we looked like Swiss cheese out there. And I appreciate that. I appreciate you coming in, coming to me and telling me that I need to be better, that the team needs to be better.”

The Bears lost Eddie Goldman for the 2020 season before it started when he opted out due to COVID-19 concerns. They lost defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris to a shoulder injury Nov. 1. When Hicks went out against the Vikings, it quickly became apparent that the Bears don’t have a great option to replace him on the interior.

The 31-year-old one-time Pro Bowler is a run-stopper, first and foremost. Without him, the Bears simply aren’t as stout up front. Hicks said he takes it personal when he sees running backs gashing the Bears’ defense, even on a night like Sunday when he wasn’t on the field.

“It’s pretty obvious that he’s such a great player that for us being able to have him out there is huge,” Nagy said. “So just seeing him out there, his leadership, a lot of that stuff goes unrecognized."