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By Adam Hoge-

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Bears just can’t escape the injury bug this season.

As the offense gets healthier, the defense is now heading to Atlanta with serious depth concerns at linebacker and cornerback.

That’s not good when you’re about to face the NFL’s third-ranked offense on the road.

Linebacker Lance Briggs was officially ruled out Friday, while Jon Bostic is officially listed as questionable with a back injury. But Bostic didn’t practice all week, according to the team, and when Trestman listed off the linebackers that would help fill the void left behind by Briggs, he needed to be reminded of Bostic.

“We’ve got Christian (Jones) right now. We’ve got D.J. (Williams). We got Khaseem (Greene). And I know I’m missing one more guy,” Trestman said Friday.

At that point a reporter jumped in and mentioned Bostic’s name.

“And Jonathan. And we’ll see where we are,” Trestman concluded.

It sure seems odd to forget one of your best linebackers, especially the one general manager Phil Emery has publicly tagged as the possible longterm replacement for Briggs on the weak side.

Chances are, the name that was escaping Trestman was Darryl Sharpton, not Bostic.

That’s a pretty good indication that Bostic won’t be able to play Sunday, and the early indications are that undrafted rookie linebacker Christian Jones will get the start on the weak-side and play with Williams on nickel downs.

And speaking of the nickel, the Bears were counting on Sherrick McManis returning from a quad injury when they released Isaiah Frey earlier this week, but McManis suffered a knee injury in practice and his return is in serious doubt. If he can’t go, the Bears’ nickel options are rookie safety Brock Vereen or second-year undrafted free agent Demontre Hurst.

Suddenly, this game is starting to look a lot like last year’s Week 7 contest at Washington. If you remember that game, you know the Bears lost a shootout 45-41 and they were scrambling for linebackers after Briggs left with a shoulder injury. D.J. Williams was already lost for the season and that left James Anderson playing 100 percent of the snaps, Bostic playing 88 percent and special teamer Blake Costanzo playing 24 percent of the snaps.

The only difference this week is that the Bears’ defensive line should be a lot better than it was in that game against Washington a year ago. Jeremiah Ratliff is back and Willie Young, Jared Allen and Lamarr Houston should be able to create pressure against an offensive line that includes former Bears right tackle Gabe Carimi.

But how much will they really slow down this Falcons’ attack that includes Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Roddy White? The Bears’ zone defense has had holes in the middle all season and those holes figure to be even bigger if Briggs and Bostic don’t play.

The Bears’ offense has vowed to limit its mistakes and play better against a Falcons’ defense that ranks toward the bottom of the league in almost every defensive category. But can they keep up?

My Prediction: Falcons 38, Bears 31

Adam Hoge covers the Bears for 87.7 The Game and TheGameChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AdamHoge.