The Chicago Bears on Friday confirmed tight end Cole Kmet suffered a serious, season-ending knee injury on a fourth-quarter reception against the New England Patriots Thursday night at Soldier Field, according to reports.
NFL Network and ESPN reporter Ian Rapoport first said Kmet was undergoing testing Friday morning. The Bears confirmed the extent of the injury during a press conference Friday afternoon.
“Is Cole’s injury season-ending?” Bears Coach Ben Johnson was asked on Friday.
“Yes,” Johnson said.
Kmet had caught a pass on second down from quarterback Caleb Williams with 5:34 left to go in the game, and was moving toward the first-down marker when he was hit by two Patriots defenders.
Kmet immediately began grabbing his right knee on the sideline, and was tended to by trainers for the Bears. After the TV timeout, Kmet was seen being carted off the field, giving a thumbs up to Bears fans as he left the field.
The game ended in a 30-24 Bears victory.
When asked at Kmet’s injury status following the game, Johnson didn’t sound optimistic.
“We’ll know more tomorrow, but I don’t think it looked very good,” he said.
Kmet has been a key reserve player for the Bears this season, serving as a mentor to Colston Loveland and still playing significant snaps for Chicago during the season. If Kmet misses any time, rookie Sam Roush would likely see more action on offense.
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