Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Bears.

Samuel didn't practice all week because of a knee injury he suffered in an Eagles' win over the New York Giants last Sunday. He's arguably the best defender on a defense ranked ninth in the NFL. His seven interceptions lead the league, and the Eagles' 19 interceptions are also tops in the NFL.

Veteran Joselio Hanson is expected to start in Samuel's spot. In his sixth NFL season, Hanson has 15 starts.

Earlier this week, the NFL Network's Brian Baldinger said the Eagles had the league's best starting cornerback tandem. Dimitri Patterson has three interceptions, including one he returned 40 yards for a touchdown. The Eagles already lost veteran Ellis Hobbs for the season and rookie Trevard Lindley (a fourth-round pick) will have increased playing time.

This obviously is a huge break for the Bears.

While the Bears don't have a traditional No. 1 receiver, they have shown more depth, using five different receivers, not to mention three tight ends and two running backs. A team could do worse than have Devin Aromashodu be its fourth receiver.