Kmet carted off Thursday. Stephen Carlson is the tight end now.

Cole Kmet left Thursday night's 30-24 win over New England on a cart in the fourth quarter with a right knee injury. He's listed as questionable, so there's at least some ambiguity about his timeline, but being carted off a football field late in a game is not a good sign regardless of what the injury report says Friday.

The timing is bad for a specific reason: the drop from Kmet to his backup is severe. Stephen Carlson has handled a sliver of the tight end snaps this season, and that's been fine as a complementary piece. Running an offense through him as the primary option is a different assignment entirely. Colston Loveland has 185 yards and a touchdown as the move tight end, so Williams has a credible second option at the position — but Kmet's role as a blocker and short-area target is not something Loveland replicates.

The Bears are 5-2 and one game back in the NFC North with 10 games left. They have won two straight. The offense, when Williams is healthy and operating, has been the one part of this roster that has held together cleanly. The defense is already thin at pass rusher, cornerback, and safety. Losing the starter at tight end — even temporarily — adds another crack to a structure that does not have many spare parts. The next few days of practice reports will tell the real story on Kmet's status.