Chicago Bears: How to take advantage of mini bye week

Heal up

The most important thing the Bears can do to take advantage of this mini-bye week is to get healthy. Overall, the team has remained relatively healthy all season. Granted, Khalil Mack and Allen Robinson each missed a couple of weeks, but the Bears were able to weather that storm.

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Now, all eyes turn to their star quarterback and the health of his right arm. As previously mentioned, Mitch sustained an injury on one of the final plays of the Vikings game. The good news is that it doesn’t appear to be anything more than a bruised AC joint. In fact, although he missed the Lions game, the reports were that had the game been Sunday instead of Thursday, he would have played.

Certainly, a few extra days to let him heal up completely can’t hurt. The team has been ultra-conservative in their handling of injuries this season, so I see no reason why they will not do the same here. Regardless, he should be on the field against New York and 100 percent healthy thanks to a few extra days off.

Something else to consider: the Bears had a very early bye week this season. It came in just Week 5 after the team had won three in a row. The bye seemed to kill momentum as the Bears lost their next two. With just a few extra days off, don’t expect any loss of momentum.

However, because their bye was so early, it’s a huge benefit to the team to have these few extra days off this late in the season. While there are not many “injured” players, this late in the season, just about everyone is banged up. Having the ability to recharge for the final stretch can be invaluable.