After winning their fifth-straight game last week over the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chicago Bears are sitting in the driver’s seat in the NFC North and NFC. The surging Bears will look to increase their lead in the division when they take on the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, and it's safe to say that Chicago will need all the help it can get.
It won’t be an easy matchup for the Bears this weekend, as Green Bay has a talented defense and playmakers on offense to give Chicago a run for its money. The Bears will hopefully have a close 100% healthy team on the field on Sunday, but there’s concern about the playing status of second-year wide receiver Rome Odunze.
According to Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic, Odunze was listed as a non-participant with the other players on Thursday’s injury report. This is now the second-straight day that the young wide receiver hasn’t practiced due to a foot injury, which is a little bit worrisome.
Rome Odunze's Week 14 Availability Is in Jeopardy After Thursday's Practice
In Weeks 10 and 11, Odunze was listed with an ankle injury and missed the first day of practice for those weeks. However, he was eventually upgraded from DNP and suited up for gameday. As we can see, this is not the case for this week’s game, which is not ideal, as it leaves Friday as the final day he can practice. In the case that he doesn’t practice, it will be more than likely that he’ll be ruled out.
However, if Odunze can get upgraded to limited on Friday, there’s a chance that he’ll be listed as questionable. The young wide receiver has become the go-to target for second-year QB Caleb Williams this season, as Odunze leads the team in targets (90), receptions (63), yards (661), and receiving touchdowns (6).
If Odunze is sidelined, it could open up more opportunities in the passing game for DJ Moore, Luther Burden III, and Olamide Zaccheaus, as well as rookie tight end Colston Loveland. Moore has quietly seen his production take a step back from his previous two years in the Windy City, but a good game vs. Green Bay could do wonders for him and the Bears’ offense.
This season, Moore has 38 receptions (63 targets) for 502 yards and three touchdowns through 12 games. While he's not having a typical 'DJ Moore' season, the Bears would love for the veteran to show that he can still be a WR1 against a Packers defense that's giving up 186.5 passing yards per game.
As we quickly approach kickoff on Sunday afternoon, Bears fans will be patiently waiting to see what the final Week 14 injury report says on Friday, which could have a domino effect on the team’s passing game if Odunze isn't healthy enough to face the rival Packers.