Bears tight end Cole Kmet played the best half of his life — and then sat out the second half Sunday.
Kmet had four catches for a career-high 107 yards in the first half in the Bears’ 27-16 win against the Cardinals. Three were explosive plays, gaining 20, 29 and 53 yards. He appeared slow to get up after the 29-yard completion with about nine minutes left in the half.
Kmet was treated in the blue injury tent then ran on the sidelines for a minute, gave trainers a thumbs-up and returned to play. During halftime, though, the Bears announced he was questionable to return, then downgraded him to doubtful. He didn’t play another snap.
“We’ll see where it goes,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “It looks positive.”
Kmet had been questionable to play Sunday because of a quad injury.
The first half claimed some of the best Bears players, albeit briefly. Both wide receiver DJ Moore and safety Jaquan Brisker walked off the field gingerly following injuries, but both returned quickly.
Moore hurt his ankle when he was rolled up on after catching a six-yard pass on the Bears’ first pass of the game.
“He’s one of the toughest guys on our football team and he’s very talented,” Eberflus said of Moore, who caught three balls for 18 yards. “That’s a really good recipe for being a Chicago Bear. Those are the kinda guys we like”
Backup tight end Marcedes Lewis, who turns 40 in May, caught a 1-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
“Cole is our brother — we’re gonna pick him up and not miss a beat, and do our thing,” Lewis said.
