Bears' Ben Johnson gets honest about impact of Cole Kmet's 'serious' injury

Not able to celebrate their "Thursday Night Football" win too long, the Chicago Bears learned devastating news about a key player on Friday. 

As revealed by head coach Ben Johnson, confirming a postgame report by ESPN/NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Bears tight end Cole Kmet suffered a "serious" knee injury in the fourth quarter of Chicago's 30-24 victory. As a result of the injury, Kmet is set to be placed on injured reserve and will miss the rest of the 2026 season. 

Cole Kmet lost for the season after suffering an injury on Thursday night 

Kmet caught three passes for 28 yards against the New England Patriots before his early exit. And through seven games in 2026, he recorded 10 receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown. 

Clearly distraught over the news and realizing the impact Kmet has on the team and locker room goes far beyond his numbers, Johnson detailed the massive loss not having Kmet will be for the team moving forward. 

Ben Johnson knows how big of a loss not having Cole Kmet will be 

"He's one of my favorites for a number of reasons," Johnson told reporters while deliver the update. "I've got so much respect for the player he is … he's everything we want to be about here … he's going to be sorely missed."

The Bears' second-round draft pick in 2020, Kmet was in the middle of his seventh season in the NFL. And usually a model of durability, he's yet to endure losing significant time due to an injury until now. 

Playing in 16 of the 17 regular season games last year, Kmet made 30 catches for 347 yards with two touchdowns. His career-high marks came in his big 2023 campaign — 73 receptions for 719 yards. 

Overall in exactly 100 games played, the Notre Dame product and Illinois native has 298 receptions for 3,026 yards and 22 scores.