Chicago Bears’ COVID-19 absences — especially right tackle Elijah Wilkinson on an already thin offensive line — prove costly in their Week 7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields saw right tackle Elijah Wilkinson studying film in the team hotel with offensive line coach Juan Castillo on Sunday morning.

So Fields was caught off guard in the locker room at Raymond James Stadium when he heard Wilkinson wouldn’t be available for Sunday afternoon’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because he was going on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

“I was just surprised,” Fields said. “Because I just saw him 45 minutes ago watching film with Coach Juan, figuring he was going to play. So I mean, that’s the life of the NFL. You just have to have next guy up.”

Wilkinson was the fifth Bears player to go on the COVID-19 list in the last 11 days, and his absence proved costly in a 38-3 loss considering the team already was thin on the offensive line because of injuries.

The Bears already were without starting right tackle Germain Ifedi, who is on injured reserve with a knee injury. Rookie left tackle Teven Jenkins remains out after back surgery, and rookie tackle Larry Borom is on injured reserve with an ankle injury.

So the Bears chose 2020 seventh-round pick Lachavious Simmons to make his first career start — and log his first significant playing time — over Alex Bars, who had played in 27 games over three seasons, though all of his eight starts in 2020 were on the interior of the line.

Simmons was overmatched against Bucs outside linebackers Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett, whose pressure contributed to the first three of Fields’ five turnovers.

On the first-quarter interception, Pierre-Paul spun around Simmons to get to Fields, who broke into a run and launched a shot into the arms of cornerback Dee Delaney after wide receiver Allen Robinson fell. Fields said he thought it was a free play because he heard the Bears saying the Bucs had 12 men on the field and the Bears tried to snap the ball quickly to get the penalty.

Barrett got around Simmons for a sack/fumble that the Bucs recovered later in the first quarter, and Pierre-Paul followed to hit Fields’ arm for another sack/fumble in the second quarter. The Bucs scored on two of the three drives, and the Bears pulled Simmons for Bars midway through the second.

“You could see in the game what happened,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said when asked why the Bears started Simmons over Bars in the first place. “We just felt like it was at a point where putting Alex in there was best for us at that time.”

Fields threw two second-half interceptions, one of which bounced off the tips of Darnell Mooney’s fingers into Jordan Whitehead’s hands. Pierre Desir caught an underthrown pass to Robinson for the final Bucs takeaway.

Afterward, Pierre-Paul told reporters he was playing with a fractured finger and torn rotator cuff while totaling two of the Bucs’ four sacks. Bucs coach Bruce Arians said he told Pierre-Paul he didn’t have to practice all week if he could make it to Sunday.

“The energy he brings and the way he plays the game, I’ve never been around too many warriors like him,” Arians said.

Wilkinson’s absence due to the COVID-19 list wasn’t the only one the Bears felt Sunday. They also were missing outside linebacker Robert Quinn, who has 5½ sacks this season. The Bears didn’t sack Tom Brady and had just one quarterback hit.

Running back Damien Williams was the first to go on the list before the Week 6 game against the Green Bay Packers and has since returned, as has wide receivers coach Mike Furrey, who missed the Packers game. Tight end Jimmy Graham and inside linebacker Caleb Johnson missed Sunday’s game because they are on the list.

“It’s just about stepping up,” inside linebacker Roquan Smith said. “It sucks, with guys having it and things of that nature. But everyone just has to protect themselves and just continue to get better. And the next man up just has to take advantage of their opportunity.”

After the game, Nagy said he would know more Sunday night about whether the Bears have to go into enhanced protocols to avoid a further outbreak.

“That’s something that we’re going to look into, to make sure that whatever we’re doing, it’s the smartest thing we can do,” Nagy said. “It’s stating the obvious that we’ve had a few that have come up, so what we need to do is make sure that we’re doing everything we can to be smart, to continue to follow what we follow … and listen to what everybody tells us to do, meaning the league.”

Wilkinson was on the COVID-19 list in August after Eddie Goldman tested positive for the virus.

Unvaccinated players have stricter protocols than vaccinated players. That includes missing at least 10 days if they test positive for the virus and five days if they are deemed close contacts. Vaccinated players who test positive can return to the team after they return two negative tests within 24 hours and will not be deemed close contacts.

Running back Khalil Herbert said Bears players aren’t overly concerned about the number of players on the list.

“Everybody’s wearing their mask, trying to do their part,” Herbert said.

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