You could tell it was bad by the way pass rusher Marcus Davenport hopped off the natural grass at Soldier Field without putting any weight on his foot.

Though the Vikings earned a 19-13 win over the Chicago Bears this past Sunday, they lost Davenport in the process. He suffered an injury to his left ankle. And while he initially got checked out in the medical tent on the sidelines, he ultimately had to be carted to the locker room.

After going through the evaluation process, the Vikings placed Davenport on injured reserve Wednesday, ensuring he will miss at least the next month. This is the latest setback for Davenport after he missed a couple of games earlier this season because of an injury to his right ankle.

In total, Davenport has only been on the field for 118 of the 414 possible snaps on defense this season. Not ideal considering the Vikings signed him to a 1-year, $13 million deal in free agency with the thought that he’d be a disruptive player off the edge.

But if anybody is thinking about questioning Davenport’s toughness, they can take it up with defensive tackle Harrison Phillips. They are locker mates at TCO Performance Center, and Phillips had something to say when Davenport’s name got brought up.

“I’m sick to my stomach,” Philips said. “The narrative is so wrong on that guy.”

It seems as if Phillips is referencing the fact that many have harped on Davenport for his struggles with injuries throughout his career. It was a thing when he was with the New Orleans Saints. And it’s becoming a thing now that he is with the Vikings.

To that point, Phillips referenced how he, too, struggled with injuries early in his career.

“This league is atrocious,” Phillips said. “There’s nothing we can do about it.”

In that same breath, Phillips heaped praise on Davenport for his work ethic, noting how hard he has been pushing himself.

“Go check out the training room ... he’s in there,” Phillips said. “He wants to come back, and he’s working his (expletive) off.”

As soon as Davenport is able to come back, the Vikings will welcome his presence. His presence is notable for a defense that prides itself on getting after the quarterback. It’s not a coincidence that the pass rush was more effective with Davenport in the mix.

“You know losing Marcus is a big loss and we’ll need to collectively pick up the slack in all areas,” defensive coordinator Brian Flores said. “Obviously the guys in that room will be expected to step up in his absence.”

That starts and stops with star pass rusher Danielle Hunter. He is tied for the NFL lead in sacks and will need to take on an even bigger role with Davenport on the shelf. The same goes for fellow pass rushers D.J. Wonnum, Patrick Jones II and Andre Carter II.

It’s going to take a village to replace Davenport’s production.

“He’s a big piece of what we do, so obviously it’s hard to lose somebody of his caliber,” linebacker Jordan Hicks said. “We’ve got to embrace it. We’ve got to find a way to rally around the void and pick up the slack as a group. We’ve got a great opportunity this week for some young guys to get in and show what they can do.”

As for Phillips, he has no problem defending Davenport, and he has no doubt that he will be working tirelessly behind the scenes to get back on the field.

“If there’s any narrative about Marcus Davenport, it should be that he’s a hell of a person and he’s a hell of a football player,” Phillips said. “He’s doing everything he can to get back and help us win games.”